A 


uELONGS  TO 


Books  by  L.  Frank  Baum 

Illustrated  by  John  R.  Neill 

Each  book  handsomely  bound  in  artistic  pictorial  cover.     $1.25  per  volume 

THE  LAND  OF  OZ 

An  account  of  the  adventures  of  the  Scarecrow,  the  Tin  Woodman,  Jack 
Punpkinhead,  the  Animated  Saw-Horse,  the  Highly  Magnified  Woggle-B»g, 
the  Gump  and  many  other  delightful  characters. 

Nearly  150  black-and-white  illustrations  and  sixteen  full-page  pictures  in  colors. 

OZMA  OF  OZ 

The  story  tells  "more  about  Dorothy,"  as  well  as  those  famous  characters, 
the  Scarecrow,  the  Tin  Woodman  and  the  Cowardly  Lion,  and  something  of 
several  new  creations  equally  delightful,  including  Tiktok  the  machine  man,  the 
Yellow  Hen,  the  Nome  King  and  the  Hungry  Tiger. 

Forty-one  full-page  colored  pictures;  twenty-two  half 
pages  in  color  and  fifty  black-and-white  text  pictures. 

DOROTHY  AND  THE  WIZARD  IN  OZ 

In  this  book  Dorothy,  with  Zeb,  a  little  boy  friend,  and  Jim,  the  Cab  Horse, 
are  swallowed  up  in  an  earthquake  and  reach  a  strange  vegetable  land,  whence 
they  escape  to  the  land  of  Oz,  and  meet  all  their  old  friends.     Among  the  new 
characters  are  Eureka,  Dorothy's  Pink  Kitten,  and  the  Nine  Tiny  Piglets. 
Gorgeously  illustrated  with  sixteen  full  color  pages  and  numerous  black-and-white  pictures. 

THE  ROAD  TO  OZ 

Tells  how  to  reach  the  Magic  City  of  Oz  over  a  road  leading  through  lands 
of  many  colors,  peopled  with  odd  characters,  surcharged  with  adventure  suit 
able  for  the  minds  and  imaginations  of  young  children.  The  manufacture 
represents  an  entirely  new  idea — the  paper  used  is  of  various  colors  to  indicate 
the  several  countries  traversed  by  the  road  leading  to  Oz  and  the  Emerald  City. 
Unique  and  gorgeous  Jacket  in  colors  and  gold. 

THE  EMERALD  CITY  OF  OZ 

In  this  story,  the  Nome  King  threatens  to  capture  the  Emerald  City. 
Ozma  and  Dorothy,  with  the  help  of  Glinda  the  Good  defeat  his  plan.  All  the 
old  characters  and  many  new  ones  enliven  this  story. 

16  full-page  pictures  in  four  colors  and  green  bronze.     100  blaoc-and-white  illustrations. 
Jacket  in  four  colors  and  aluminum  and  green  bronze. 

THE  PATCHWORK  GIRL  OF  OZ 

In  many  ways  the  most  successful  of  the  Oz  Books.  A  new  and  fascinating 
character,  the  Patchwork  Girl,  and  Ojo,  a  new  boy,  have  adventures  of 
lively  interest. 

Over  100  full-page  pictures  in  full  color  and  in  black  and  white.     Full-length  chapter  heads 
in  full  color.     Jacket  in  four  colors;  cover  in  four  stampings. 


TIK-TOK  OF  OZ 


BY 

L.  FRANK  BAUM 

AUTHOR  OF 

THE  ROAD  TO  OZ,  DOROTHY  AND  THE  WIZARD  IN  OZ,  THE 

EMERALD  CITY  OF  OZ,  THE  LAND  OF  OZ,  OZMA 

OF  OZ,  THE  PATCHWORK  GIRL  OF  OZ 


ILLUSTRATED  BY 

JOHN  R.  NEILL 


THE    REILLY    &    BRITTON    CO, 

CHICAGO 


COPYEIGftT 

BY 

L  Frank  Damn 


ML 

RIGHTS  RESERVED 


SIFT  01 


To 

buis  K 

wfosesveet  and  dainty  melodies 
breatfittfictrue  sgini  of 


tfe  Eook  is  affectionaleli)  dedicated 


TO  MY  READERS 


THE  very  marked  suc 
cess  of  my  last  year's 
fairy  book,  "The  Patch 
work  Girl  of  Oz,"  con 
vinces  me  that  my  readers 
like  the  Oz  stories  "best 
of  all,"  as  one  little  girl 
wrote  me.  So  here,  my 
dears,  is  a  new  Oz  story  in 
.which  is  introduced  Ann 
Soforth,  the  Queen  of 
Oogaboo,  whom  Tik-Tok 
assisted  in  conquering  our 
old  acquaintance,  the 
Nome  King.  It  also  tells 
of  Betsy  Bobbin  and  how, 
after  many  adventures, 
she  finally  reached  the 
marvelous  Land  of  Oz. 

There  is  a  play  called 
"The  Tik-Tok  Man  of 
Oz,"  but  it  is  not  like  this 
story  of  "Tik-Tok  of  Oz," 
although  some  of  the  ad 
ventures  recorded  in  this 
book,  as  well  as  those  in 
several  other  Oz  books, 
are  included  in  the  play. 
Those  who  have  seen  the 
play  and  those  who  have 
read  the  other  Oz  books 


will  find  in  this  story  a  lot  of  strange  characters  and  adven 
tures  that  they  have  never  heard  of  before. 

In  the  letters  I  receive  from  children  there  has  been  an 
urgent  appeal  for  me  to  write  a  story  that  will  take  Trot  and 
Cap'n  Bill  to  the  Land  of  Oz,  where  they  will  meet  Dorothy 
and  Ozma.  Also  they  think  Button-Bright  ought  to  get 
acquainted  with  Ojo  the  Lucky.  As  you  know,  I  am  obliged 
to  talk  these  matters  over  with  Dorothy  by  means  of  the 
"wireless,"  for  that  is  the  only  way  I  can  communicate  with 
the  Land  of  Oz.  When  I  asked  her  about  this  idea,  she  replied  : 
"Why,  haven't  you  heard?"  I  said  "No."  "Well,"  came  the 
message  over  the  wireless,  "I'll  tell  you  all  about  it,  by  and 
by,  and  then  you  can  make  a  book  of  that  story  for  the  chil 
dren  to  read." 

So,  if  Dorothy  keeps  her  word  and  I  am  permitted  to  write 
another  Oz  book,  you  will  probably  discover  how  all  these 
characters  came  together  in  the  famous  Emerald  City.  Mean 
time,  I  want  to  tell  all  my  little  friends — whose  numbers  are 
increasing  by  many  thousands  every  year — that  I  am  very 
grateful  for  the  favor  they  have  shown  my  books  and  for  the 
delightful  little  letters  I  am  constantly  receiving.  I  am 
almost  sure  that  I  have  as  many  friends  among  the  children 
of  America  as  any  story  writer  alive ;  and  this,  of  course,  makes 
me  very  proud  and  happy. 

L.  FRANK  BAUM. 

"OZCOT" 

at  HOLLYWOOD 

in   CALIFORNIA, 

1914. 


LIST  OF  CHAPTERS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

! — ANN'S  ARMY 13 

2 OUT  OF  OOGABOO 24 

3 — MAGIC  MYSTIFIES  THE  MARCHERS 28 

4 — BETSY  BRAVES  THE  BILLOWS 39 

5 — THE  ROSES  REPULSE  THE  REFUGEES.  . .  42 

6 — SHAGGY  SEEKS  HIS  STRAY  BROTHER  ....  48 

7 — POLYCHROME'S  PITIFUL  PLIGHT 65 

8 — TIK-TOK  TACKLES  A  TOUGH  TASK 78 

9 — RUGGEDO'S  RAGE  is  RASH  AND  RECKLESS  92 

10 — A  TERRIBLE  TUMBLE  THROUGH  A  TUBE  107 

ii — THE  FAMOUS  FELLOWSHIP  OF  FAIRIES.  .  120 

12 — THE  LOVELY  LADY  OF  LIGHT 129 

13 — THE  JINJIN'S  JUST  JUDGMENT 136 

14 — THE  LONG-EARED  HEARER  LEARNS  BY 

LISTENING   149 

15 — THE  DRAGON  DEFIES  DANGER 159 

16 — THE  NAUGHTY  NOME 168 

17 — A  TRAGIC  TRANSFORMATION 177 

18 — A  CLEVER  CONQUEST 193 

19 — KING  KALIKO 202 

20 — Quox  QUIETLY  QUITS.  . . , 213 

21 — A  BASHFUL  BROTHER 221 

22 — KINDLY  KISSES 233 

23 — RUGGEDO  REFORMS 245 

24 — DOROTHY  is  DELIGHTED 251 

25 — THE  LAND  OF  LOVE 263 


«ST  HISTORIAN 
TITLE  CONFE 


. 
SAN  FitAMCtSCO 


ALDA 


CHAPTER  1 
Anr/£  / 


"I  WON'T!"  cried  Ann;  "I  won't  sweep  the  floor.  It  is 
beneath  my  dignity." 

"Some  one  must  sweep  it,"  replied  Anil's  younger*  sister, 
Salye;  "else  we  shall  soon  be  wading  in  dust.  And  you  are 
the  eldest,  and  the  head  of  the  family." 

"I'm  Queen  of  Oogaboo,"  said  Ann,  proudly.  "But," 
she  added  with  a  sigh,  "my  kingdom  is  the  smallest  and  the 
poorest  in  all  the  Land  of  Oz." 

This  was  quite  true.  Away  up  in  the  mountains,  in  a  far 
corner  of  the  beautiful  fairyland  of  Oz,  lies  a  small  valley 
which  is  named  Oogaboo,  and  in  this  valley  lived  a  few  people 
who  were  usually  happy  and  contented  and  never  cared  to 

13 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


wander  over  the  mountain  pass  into  the  more  settled  parts  of 
the  land.  They  knew  that  all  of  Oz,  including  their  own 
territory,  was  ruled  by  a  beautiful  Princess  named  Ozma,  who 
lived  in  the  splendid  Emerald  City;  yet  the  simple  folk  of 
Oogaboo  never  visited  Ozma.  They  had  a  royal  family  of 
their  own — not  especially  to  rule  over  them,  but  just  as  a 
matter  of  pride.  Ozma  permitted  the  various  parts  of  her 
country  to  have  their  Kings  and  Queens  and  Emperors  and 
the  like,  but  all  were  ruled  over  by  the  lovely  girl  Queen  of  the 
Emerald  City. 

The  King  of  Oogaboo  used  to  be  a  man  named  Jol  Jemkiph 
Soforth,  who  for  many  years  did  all  the  drudgery  of  deciding 
disputes  and  telling  his  people  when  to  plant  cabbages  and 
pickle; ;oiuon&./ :Bv.f  the  King's  wife  had  a  sharp  tongue  and 
small,  respect  -for  the  King,  her  husband ;  therefore  one  night 
King 'Jol' crept  over  the  pass  into  the  Land  of  Oz  and  disap 
peared  from  Oogaboo  for  good  and  all.  The  Queen  waited  a 
few  years  for  him  to  return  and  then  started  in  search  of  him, 
leaving  her  eldest  daughter,  Ann  Soforth,  to  act  as  Queen. 

Now,  Ann  had  not  forgotten  when  her  birthday  came,  for 
that  meant  a  party  and  feasting  and  dancing,  but  she  had  quite 
forgotten  how  many  years  the  birthdays  marked.  In  a  land 
where  people  live  always,  this  is  not  considered  a  cause  for 
regret,  so  we  may  justly  say  that  Queen  Ann  of  Oogaboo  was 
old  enough  to  make  jelly — and  let  it  go  at  that. 

14 


Chapter  One 


But  she  didn't  make  jelly,  or  do  any  more  of  the  housework 
than  she  could  help.  She  was  an  ambitious  woman  and  con 
stantly  resented  the  fact  that  her  kingdom  was  so  tiny  and  her 
people  so  stupid  and  unenterprising.  Often  she  wondered 
what  had  become  of  her  father  and  mother,  out  beyond  the 
pass,  in  the  wonderful  Land  of  Oz,  and  the  fact  that  they  did 
not  return  to  Oogaboo  led  Ann  to  suspect  that  they  had  found 
a  better  place  to  live.  So,  when  Salye  refused  to  sweep  the 
floor  of  the  living  room  in  the  palace,  and  Ann  would  not  sweep 
it,  either,  she  said  to  her  sister : 

"I'm  going  away.  This  absurd  Kingdom  of  Oogaboo 
tires  me." 

"Go,  if  you  want  to,"  answered  Salye;  "but  you  are  very 
foolish  to  leave  this  place." 

"Why?"  asked  Ann. 

"Because  in  the  Land  of  Oz,  which  is  Ozma's  country,  you 
will  be  a  nobody,  while  here  you  are  a  Queen." 

"Oh,  yes !  Queen  over  eighteen  men,  twenty-seven  women 
and  forty-four  children !"  returned  Ann  bitterly. 

"Well,  there  are  certainly  more  people  than  that  in  the 
great  Land  of  Oz,"  laughed  Salye.  "Why  don't  you  raise  an 
army  and  conquer  them,  and  be  Queen  of  all  Oz?"  she  asked, 
trying  to  taunt  Ann  and  so  to.anger  her.  Then  she  made  a  face 
at  her  sister  and  went  into  the  back  yard  to  swing  in  the 
hammock. 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


Her  jeering  words,  however,  had  given  Queen  Ann  an  idea. 
She  reflected  that  Oz  was  reported  to  be  a  peaceful  country 
and  Ozma  a  mere  girl  who  ruled  with  gentleness  to  all  and  was 
obeyed  because  her  people  loved  her.  Even  in  Oogaboo  the 
story  was  told  that  Ozma's  sole  army  consisted  of  twenty- 
seven  fine  officers,  who  wore  beautiful  uniforms  but  carried 
no  weapons,  because  there  was  no  one  to  fight.  Once  there 
had  been  a  private  soldier,  besides  the  officers,  but  uzma  had 
made  him  a  Captain-General  and  taken  away  his  gun  for  fear 
it  might  accidentally  hurt  some  one. 

The  more  Ann  thought  about  the  matter  the  more  she  was 
convinced  it  would  be  easy  to  conquer  the  Land  of  Oz  and  set 
herself  up  as  Ruler  in  Ozma's  place,  if  she  but  had  an  Army  to 
do  it  with.  Afterward  she  could  go  out  into  the  world  and  con 
quer  other  lands,  and  then  perhaps  she  could  find  a  way  to  the 
moon,  and  conquer  that.  She  had  a  warlike  spirit  that  pre 
ferred  trouble  to  idleness. 

It  all  depended  on  an  Army,  Ann  decided.  She  carefully 
counted  in  her  mind  all  the  men  of  her  kingdom.  Yes ;  there 
were  exactly  eighteen  of  them,  all  told.  That  would  not  make 
a  very  big  Army,  but  by  surprising  Ozma's  unarmed  officers  her 
men  might  easily  subdue  them.  "Gentle  people  are  always 
afraid  of  those  that  bluster,"  Ann  told  herself.  "I  don't  wish 
to  shed  any  blood,  for  that  would  shock  my  nerves  and  I  might 
faint;  but  if  we  threaten  and  flash  our  weapons  I  am  sure 

16 


Chapter  One 


the  people  of  Oz  will  fall  upon  their  knees  before  me  and 
surrender." 

This  argument,  which  she  repeated  to  herself  more  than 
once,  finally  determined  the  Queen  of  Oogaboo  to  under 
take  the  audacious  venture. 

"Whatever  happens,"  she  reflected,  "can  make  me  no  more 
unhappy  than  my  staying  shut  up  in  this  miserable  valley  and 
sweeping  floors  and  quarreling  with  Sister  Salye ;  so  I  will  ven 
ture  all,  and  win  what  I  may." 

That  very  day  she  started  out  to  organize  her  Army. 

The  first  man  she  came  to  was  Jo  Apple,  so  called  because 
he  had  an  apple  orchard. 

"Jo,"  said  Ann,  "I  am  going  to  conquer  the  world,  and  I 
want  you  to  join  my  Army." 

"Don't  ask  me  to  do  such  a  fool  thing,  for  I  must  politely 
refuse  Your  Majesty,"  said  Jo  Apple. 

"I  have  no  intention  of  asking  you.  I  shall  command  you, 
as  Queen  of  Oogaboo,  to  join,"  said  Ann. 

"In  that  case,  I  suppose  I  must  obey,"  the  man  remarked, 
in  a  sad  voice.  "But  I  pray  you  to  consider  that  I  am  a  very 
important  citizen,  and  for  that  reason  am  entitled  to  an  office 
of  high  rank." 

"You  shall  be  a  General,"  promised  Ann. 

"With  gold  epaulets  and  a  sword?"  he  asked. 

"Of  course,"  said  the  Queen. 

17 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


Then  she  went  to  the  next  man,  whose  name  was  Jo  Bunn, 
as  he  owned  an  orchard  where  graham-buns  and  wheat-buns, 
in  great  variety,  both  hot  and  cold,  grew  on  the  trees. 

"Jo,"  said  Ann,  "I  am  going  to  conquer  the  world,  and  I 
command  you  to  join  my  Army." 

"Impossible!"  he  exclaimed.  "The  bun  crop  has  to  be 
picked." 

"Let  your  wife  and  children  do  the  picking,"  said  Ann. 

"But  I'm  a  man  of  great  importance,  Your  Majesty,"  he 
protested. 

"For  that  reason  you  shall  be  one  of  my  Generals,  and  wear 
a  cocked  hat  with  gold  braid,  and  curl  your  mustaches  and 
clank  a  long  sword,"  she  promised. 

So  he  consented,  although  sorely  against  his  will,  and  the 
Queen  walked  on  to  the  next  cottage.  Here  lived  Jo  Cone, 
so  called  because  the  trees  in  his  orchard  bore  crops  of  excel 
lent  ice-cream  cones. 

"Jo,"  said  Ann,  "I  am  going  to  conquer  the  world,  and  you 
must  join  my  Army." 

"Excuse  me,  please,"  said  Jo  Cone.  "I  am  a  bad  fighter. 
My  good  wife  conquered  me  years  ago,  for  she  can  fight  better 
than  I.  Take  her,  Your  Majesty,  instead  of  me,  and  I'll  bless 
you  for  the  favor." 

"This  must  be  an  army  of  men — fierce,  ferocious  warriors," 
declared  Ann,  looking  sternly  upon  the  mild  little  man. 

18 


Chapter  One 


"And  you  will  leave  my  wife  here  in  Oogaboo  ?"  he  asked. 

"Yes;  and  make  you  a  General." 

'Til  go,"  said  Jo  Cone,  and  Ann  went  on  to  the  cottage  of 
Jo  Clock,  who  had  an  orchard  of  clock-trees.  This  man  at 
first  insisted  that  he  would  not  join  the  army,  but  Queen  Ann's 
promise  to  make  him  a  General  finally  won  his  consent. 

"How  many  Generals  are  there  in  your  army?"  he  asked. 

"Four,  so  far,"  replied  Ann. 

"And  how  big  will  the  army  be?"  was  his  next  question. 

"I  intend  to  make  every  one  of  the  eighteen  men  in  Ooga- 
boo  join  it,"  she  said. 

"Then  four  Generals  are  enough,"  announced  Jo  Clock. 
"I  advise  you  to  make  the  rest  of  them  Colonels." 

Ann  tried  to  follow  his  advice.  The  next  four  men  she  vis 
ited — who  were  Jo  Plum,  Jo  Egg,  Jo  Banjo  and  Jo  Cheese, 
named  after  the  trees  in  their  orchards — she  made  Colonels  of 
her  Army;  but  the  fifth  one,  Jo  Nails,  said  Colonels  and  Gen 
erals  were  getting  to  be  altogether  too  common  in  the  Army  of 
Oogaboo  and  he  preferred  to  be  a  Major.  So  Jo  Nails,  Jo 
Cake,  Jo  Ham  and  Jo  Stockings  were  all  four  made  Majors, 
while  the  next  four — Jo  Sandwich,  Jo  Padlocks,  Jo  Sundae 
and  Jo  Buttons — were  appointed  Captains  of  the  Army. 

But  now  Queen  Ann  was  in  a  quandary.  There  remained 
but  two  other  men  in  all  Oogaboo,  and  if  she  made  these  two 
Lieutenants,  while  there  were  four  Captains,  four  Majors, 

19 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


four  Colonels  and  four  Generals,   there  was  likely  to  be 
jealousy  in  her  army,  and  perhaps  mutiny  and  desertions. 

One  of  these  men,  however,  was  Jo  Candy,  and  he  would 
not  go  at  all.  No  promises  could  tempt  him,  nor  could  threats 
move  him.  He  said  he  must  remain  at  home  to  harvest  his 
crop  of  jackson-balls,  lemon-drops,  bonbons  and  chocolate- 
creams.  Also  he  had  large  fields  of  cracker  jack  and  buttered 
pop  corn  to  be  mowed  and  threshed,  and  he  was  determined 
not  to  disappoint  the  children  of  Oogaboo  by  going  away  to 
conquer  the  world  and  so  let  the  candy  crop  spoil. 

Finding  Jo  Candy  so  obstinate,  Queen  Ann  let  him  have 
his  own  way  and  continued  her  journey  to  the  house  of  the 
eighteenth  and  last  man  in  Oogaboo,  who  was  a  young  fellow 
named  Jo  Files.  This  Files  had  twelve  trees  which  bore  steel 
files  of  various  sorts ;  but  also  he  had  nine  book-trees,  on  which 
grew  a  choice  selection  of  story-books.  In  case  you  have  never 
seen  books  growing  upon  trees,  I  will  explain  that  those  in  Jo 
Files'  orchard  were  enclosed  in  broad  green  husks  which,  when 
fully  ripe,  turned  to  a  deep  red  color.  Then  the  books  were 
picked  and  husked  and  were  ready  to  read.  If  they  were 
picked  too  soon,  the  stories  were  found  to  be  confused  and 
uninteresting  and  the  spelling  bad.  However,  if  allowed  to 
ripen  perfectly,  the  stories  were  fine  reading  and  the  spelling 
and  grammar  excellent. 

Files  freely  gave  his  books  to  all  who  wanted  them,  but  the 

20 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


people  of  Oogaboo  cared  little  for  books  and  so  he  had  to  read 
most  of  them  himself,  before  they  spoiled.  For,  as  you  prob 
ably  know,  as  soon  as  the  books  were  read  the  words  disap 
peared  and  the  leaves  withered  and  faded — which  is  the  worst 
fault  of  all  books  which  grow  upon  trees. 

When  Queen  Ann  spoke  to  this  young  man  Files,  who  was 
both  intelligent  and  ambitious,  he  said  he  thought  it  would  be 
great  fun  to  conquer  the  world.  But  he  called  her  attention 
to  the  fact  that  he  was  far  superior  to  the  other  men  of  her 
army.  Therefore,  he  would  not  be  one  of  her  Generals  or 
Colonels  or  Majors  or  Captains,  but  claimed  the  honor  of  being 
sole  Private. 

Ann  did  not  like  this  idea  at  all. 

"I  hate  to  have  a  Private  Soldier  in  my  army,"  she  said; 
"they're  so  common.  I  am  told  that  Princess  Ozma  once  had 
a  private  soldier,  but  she  made  him  her  Captain-General, 
which  is  good  evidence  that  the  private  was  unnecessary." 

"Ozma's  army  doesn't  fight,"  returned  Files;  "but  your 
army  must  fight  like  fury  in  order  to  conquer  the  world.  I 
have  read  in  my  books  that  it  is  always  the  private  soldiers 
who  do  the  fighting,  for  no  officer  is  ever  brave  enough  to  face 
the  foe.  Also,  it  stands  to  reason  that  your  officers  must  have 
some  one  to  command  and  to  issue  their  orders  to;  therefore 
I'll  be  the  one.  I  long  to  slash  and  slay  the  enemy  and  become 
•a  hero.  Then,  when  we  return  to  Oogaboo,  I'll  take  all  the 

22 


Chapter  One 


marbles  away  from  the  children  and  melt  them  up  and  make  a 
marble  statue  of  myself  for  all  to  look  upon  and  admire." 

Ann  was  much  pleased  with  Private  Files.  He  seemed 
indeed  to  be  such  a  warrior  as  she  needed  in  her  enterprise,  and 
her  hopes  of  success  took  a  sudden  bound  when  Files  told  her 
he  knew  where  a  gun-tree  grew  and  would  go  there  at  once  and 
pick  the  ripest  and  biggest  musket  the  tree  bore.. 


CHAPTER  2 

Out  of  Oogaboo 

THREE  days  later  the  Grand  Army  of  Oogaboo  assembled 
in  the  square  in  front  of  the  royal  palace.  The  sixteen  officers 
were  attired  in  gorgeous  uniforms  and  carried  sharp,  glitter 
ing  swords.  The  Private  had  picked  his  gun  and,  although 
it  was  not  a  very  big  weapon,  Files  tried  to  look  fierce  and 
succeeded  so  well  that  all  his  commanding  officers  were 
secretly  afraid  of  him. 

The  women  were  there,  protesting  that  Queen  Ann  Sof  orth 
had  no  right  to  take  their  husbands  and  fathers  from  them;  but 
Ann  commanded  them  to  keep  silent,  and  that  was  the  hardest 
order  to  obey  they  had  ever  received. 

The  Queen  appeared  before  her  Army  dressed  in  an  impos- 

24 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


ing  uniform  of  green,  covered  with  gold  braid.  She  wore  a 
green  soldier-cap  with  a  purple  plume  in  it  and  looked  so  royal 
and  dignified  that  everyone  in  Oogaboo  except  the  Army  was 
glad  she  was  going.  The  Army  was  sorry  she  was  not  going 
alone. 

"Form  ranks!"  she  cried  in  her  shrill  voice. 

Salye  leaned  out  of  the  palace  window  and  laughed. 

"I  believe  your  Army  can  run  better  than  it  can  fight/*  she 
observed. 

"Of  course,"  replied  General  Bunn,  proudly.  "We're 
not  looking  for  trouble,  you  know,  but  for  plunder.  The  more 
plunder  and  the  less  fighting  we  get,  the  better  we  shall  like 
our  work." 

"For  my  part,"  said  Files,  "I  prefer  war  and  carnage  to  any 
thing.  The  only  way  to  become  a  hero  is  to  conquer,  and  the 
story-books  all  say  that  the  easiest  way  to  conquer  is  to  fight." 

"That's  the  idea,  my  brave  man !"  agreed  Ann.  "To  fight 
is  to  conquer  and  to  conquer  is  to  secure  plunder  and  to  secure 
plunder  is  to  become  a  hero.  With  such  noble  determination 
to  back  me,  the  world  is  mine !  Good-bye,  Salye.  When  we 
return  we  shall  be  rich  and  famous.  Come,  Generals;  let  us 
march." 

At  this  the  Generals  straightened  up  and  threw  out  their 
chests.  Then  they  swung  their  glittering  swords  in  rapid 
circles  and  cried  to  the  Colonels : 

26 


Chapter  Two 


"For— ward  March!" 

Then  the  Colonels  shouted  to  the  Majors:  'Tor — ward 
March !"  and  the  Majors  yelled  to  the  Captains :  "For — ward 
March!"  and  the  Captains  screamed  to  the  Private: 

-For— ward  March!" 

So  Files  shouldered  his  gun  and  began  to  march,  and  all  the 
officers  followed  after  him.  Queen  Ann  came  last  of  all,  rejoic 
ing  in  her  noble  army  and  wondering  why  she  had  not  decided 
long  ago  to  conquer  the  world. 

In  this  order  the  procession  marched  out  of  Oogaboo  and 
took  the  narrow  mountain  pass  which  led  into  the  lovely 
Fairyland  of  Oz. 


CHAPTER  3 

Magic  Mystifies  the  Marchers 

PRINCESS  OZMA  was  all  unaware  that  the  Army  of  Ooga- 
boo,  led  by  their  ambitious  Queen,  was  determined  to  conquer 
her  Kingdom.  The  beautiful  girl  Ruler  of  Oz  was  busy  with 
the  welfare  of  her  subjects  and  had  no  time  to  think  of  Ann 
Soforth  and  her  disloyal  plans.  But  there  was  one  who  con 
stantly  guarded  the  peace  and  happiness  of  the  Land  of  Oz 
and  this  was  the  Official  Sorceress  of  the  Kingdom,  Glinda 
the  Good. 

In  her  magnificent  castle,  which  stands  far  north  of  the 
Emerald  City  where  Ozma  holds  her  court,  Glinda  owns  a 
wonderful  magic  Record  Book,  in  which  is  printed  every  event 
that  takes  place  anywhere,  just  as  soon  as  it  happens. 

28 


Chapter  Three 


The  smallest  things  and  the  biggest  things  are  all  recorded 
in  this  book.  If  a  child  stamps  its  foot  in  anger,  Glinda  reads 
about  it;  if  a  city  burns  down,  Glinda  finds  the  fact  noted  in 
her  book. 

The  Sorceress  always  reads  her  Record  Book  every  day, 
and  so  it  was  she  knew  that  Ann  Soforth,  Queen  of  Oogaboo, 
had  foolishly  assembled  an  army  of  sixteen  officers  and  one 
private  soldier,  with  which  she  intended  to  invade  and  conquer 
the  Land  of  Oz. 

There  was  no  danger  but  that  Ozma,  supported  by  the 
magic  arts  of  Glinda  the  Good  and  the  powerful  Wizard  of  Oz 
— both  her  firm  friends — could  easily  defeat  a  far  more  impos 
ing  army  than  Ann's ;  but  it  would  be  a  shame  to  have  the  peace 
of  Oz  interrupted  by  any  sort  of  quarreling  or  fighting.  So 
Glinda  did  not  even  mention  the  matter  to  Ozma,  or  to  any 
one  else.  She  merely  went  into  a  great  chamber  of  her  castle, 
known  as  the  Magic  Room,  where  she  performed  a  magical 
ceremony  which  caused  the  mountain  pass  that  led  from  Ooga 
boo  to  make  several  turns  and  twists.  The  result  was  that 
when  Ann  and  her  army  came  to  the  end  of  the  pass  they  were 
not  in  the  Land  of  Oz  at  all,  but  in  an  adjoining  territory  that 
was  quite  distinct  from  Ozma's  domain  and  separated  from 
Oz  by  an  invisible  barrier. 

As  the  Oogaboo  people  emerged  into  this  country,  the  pass 
they  had  traversed  disappeared  behind  them  and  it  was  not 

29 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


likely  they  would  ever  find  their  way  back  into  the  valley  of 
Oogaboo.  They  were  greatly  puzzled,  indeed,  by  their  sur 
roundings  and  did  not  know  which  way  to  go.  None  of  them 
had  ever  visited  Oz,  so  it  took  them  some  time  to  discover  they 
were  not  in  Oz  at  all,  but  in  an  unknown  country. 

"Never  mind,"  said  Ann,  trying  to  conceal  her  disappoint 
ment;  "we  have  started  out  to  conquer  the  world,  and  here  is 
part  of  it.  In  time,  as  we  pursue  our  victorious  journey,  we 
will  doubtless  come  to  Oz;  but,  until  we  get  there,  we  may  as 
well  conquer  whatever  land  we  find  ourselves  in." 

"Have  we  conquered  this  place,  Your  Majesty?"  anx 
iously  inquired  Major  Cake. 

"Most  certainly,"  said  Ann.  "We  have  met  no  people,  as 
yet,  but  when  we  do,  we  will  inform  them  that  they  are  our 
slaves." 

"And  afterward  we  will  plunder  them  of  all  their  posses 
sions,"  added  General  Apple. 

"They  may  not  possess  anything,"  objected  Private  Files; 
"but  I  hope  they  will  fight  us,  just  the  same.  A  peaceful  con 
quest  wouldn't  be  any  fun  at  all." 

"Don't  worry,"  said  the  Queen.  "We  can  fight,  whether 
our  foes  do  or  not;  and  perhaps  we  would  find  it  more  comfort 
able  to  have  the  enemy  surrender  promptly." 

It  was  a  barren  country  and  not  very  pleasant  to  travel  in. 
Moreover,  there  was  little  for  them  to  eat,  and  as  the  officers 

30 


Chapter  Three 


became  hungry  they  became  fretful.  Many  would  have 
deserted  had  they  been  able  to  find  their  way  home,  but  as  the 
Oogaboo  people  were  now  hopelessly  lost  in  a  strange  country 
they  considered  it  more  safe  to  keep  together  than  to  separate. 

Queen  Ann's  temper,  never  very  agreeable,  became  sharp 
and  irritable  as  she  and  her  army  tramped  over  the  rocky  roads 
without  encountering  either  people  or  plunder.  She  scolded 
her  officers  until  they  became  surly,  and  a  few  of  them  were 
disloyal  enough  to  ask  her  to  hold  her  tongue.  Others  began 
to  reproach  her  for  leading  them  into  difficulties  and  in  the 
space  of  three  unhappy  days  every  man  was  mourning  for  his 
orchard  in  the  pretty  valley  of  Oogaboo. 

Files,  however,  proved  a  different  sort.  The  more  difficul 
ties  he  encountered  the  more  cheerful  he  became,  and  the  sighs 
of  the  officers  were  answered  by  the  merry  whistle  of  the 
Private.  His  pleasant  disposition  did  much  to  encourage 
Queen  Ann  and  before  long  she  consulted  the  Private  Sol 
dier  more  often  dian  she  did  his  superiors. 

It  was  on  the  third  day  of  their  pilgrimage  that  they 
encountered  their  first  adventure.  Toward  evening  the  sky 
was  suddenly  darkened  and  Major  Nails  exclaimed  : 

"A  fog  is  coming  toward  us." 

"I  do  not  think  it  is  a  fog,"  replied  Files,  looking  with 
.nterest  at  the  approaching  cloud.  "It  seems  to  me  more  like 
the  breath  of  a  Rak." 

31 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"What  is  a  Rak?"  asked  Ann,  looking  about  fearfully. 

"A  terrible  beast  with  a  horrible  appetite,"  answered  the 
soldier,  growing  a  little  paler  than  usual.  "I  have  never  seen 
a  Rak,  to  be  sure,  but  I  have  read  of  them  in  the  story-books 
that  grew  in  my  orchard,  and  if  this  is  indeed  one  of  those  fear 
ful  monsters,  we  are  not  likely  to  conquer  the  world." 

Hearing  this,  the  officers  became  quite  worried  and  gath 
ered  closer  about  their  soldier. 

"What  is  the  thing  like  ?"  asked  one. 

"The  only  picture  of  a  Rak  that  I  ever  saw  in  a  book  was 
rather  blurred,"  said  Files,  "because  the  book  was  not  quite 
ripe  when  it  was  picked.  But  the  creature  can  fly  in  the  air  and 
run  like  a  deer  and  swim  like  a  fish.  Inside  its  body  is  a  glow 
ing  furnace  of  fire,  and  the  Rak  breathes  in  air  and  breathes 
out  smoke,  which  darkens  the  sky  for  miles  around,  wherever 
it  goes.  It  is  bigger  than  a  hundred  men  and  feeds  on  any  liv 
ing  thing." 

The  officers  now  began  to  groan  and  to  tremble,  but  Files 
tried  to  cheer  them,  saying  : 

"It  may  not  be  a  Rak,  after  all,  that  we  see  approaching  us, 
and  you  must  not  forget  that  we  people  of  Oogaboo,  which  is 
part  of  the  fairyland  of  Oz,  cannot  be  killed." 

"Nevertheless,"  said  Captain  Buttons,  "if  the  Rak  catches 
us,  and  chews  us  up  into  small  pieces,  and  swallows  us — what 
will  happen  then?" 

32 


Chapter  Three 


'Then  each  small  piece  will  still  be  alive/'  declared  Files. 

"I  cannot  see  how  that  would  help  us/'  wailed  Colonel 
Banjo.  "A  hamburger  steak  is  a  hamburger  steak,  whether 
it  is  alive  or  not!" 

"I  tell  you,  this  may  not  be  a  Rak,"  persisted  Files.  "We 
will  know,  when  the  cloud  gets  nearer,  whether  it  is  the  breath 
of  a  Rak  or  not.  If  it  has  no  smell  at  all,  it  is  probably  a  fog; 
but  if  it  has  an  odor  of  salt  and  pepper,  it  is  a  Rak  and  we  must 
prepare  for  a  desperate  fight." 

They  all  eyed  the  dark  cloud  fearfully.  Before  long  it 
reached  the  frightened  group  and  began  to  envelop  them. 
Every  nose  sniffed  the  cloud — and  every  one  detected  in  it  the 
odor  of  salt  and  pepper. 

"The  Rak!"  shouted  Private  Files,  and  with  a  howl  of 
despair  the  sixteen  officers  fell  to  the  ground,  writhing  and 
moaning  in  anguish.  Queen  Ann  sat  down  upon  a  rock  and 
faced  the  cloud  more  bravely,  although  her  heart  was  beating 
fast.  As  for  Files,  he  calmly  loaded  his  gun  and  stood  ready  to 
fight  the  foe,  as  a  soldier  should. 

They  were  now  in  absolute  darkness,  for  the  cloud  which 
covered  the  sky  and  the  setting  sun  was  black  as  ink.  Then 
through  the  gloom  appeared  two  round,  glowing  balls  of  red, 
and  Files  at  once  decided  these  must  be  the  monster's  eyes. 

He  raised  his  gun,  took  aim  and  fired. 

There  were  several  bullets  in  the  gun,  all  gathered  from  an 

33 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


excellent  bullet-tree  in  Oogaboo,  and  they  were  big  and  hard. 
They  flew  toward  the  monster  and  struck  it,  and  with  a  wild, 
weird  cry  the  Rak  came  fluttering  down  and  its  huge  body  fell 
plump  upon  the  forms  of  the  sixteen  officers,  who  thereupon 
screamed  louder  than  before. 

"Badness  me!"  moaned  the  Rak.  "See  what  you've'  done 
with  that  dangerous  gun  of  yours!" 

"I  can't  see,"  replied  Files,  "for  the  cloud  formed  by  your 
breath  darkens  my  sight!" 

"Don't  tell  me  it  was  an  accident,"  continued  the  Rak, 
reproachfully,  as  it  still  flapped  its  wings  in  a  helpless  man 
ner.  "Don't  claim  you  didn't  know  the  gun  was  loaded,  I  beg 
of  you!" 

"I  don't  intend  to,"  replied  Files.  "Did  the  bullets  hurt 
you  very  badly  ?" 

"One  has  broken  my  jaw,  so  that  I  can't  open  my  mouth. 
You  will  notice  that  my  voice  sounds  rather  harsh  and  husky, 
because  I  have  to  talk  with  my  teeth  set  close  together. 
Another  bullet  broke  my  left  wing,  so  that  I  can't  fly ;  and  still 
another  broke  my  right  leg,  so  that  I  can't  walk.  It  was  the 
most  careless  shot  I  ever  heard  of!" 

"Can't  you  manage  to  lift  your  body  off  from  my  command 
ing  officers?"  inquired  Files.  "From  their  cries  I'm  afraid 
your  great  weight  is  crushing  them." 

"I  hope  it  is,"  growled  the  Rak.  "I  want  to  crush  them,  if 

34 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


possible,  for  I  have  a  bad  disposition.  If  only  I  could  open 
my  mouth,  I'd  eat  all  of  you,  although  my  appetite  is  poorly 
this  warm  weather." 

With  this  the  Rak  began  to  roll  its  immense  body  sidewise, 
so  as  to  crush  the  officers  more  easily ;  but  in  doing  this  it  rolled 
completely  off  from  them  and  the  entire  sixteen  scrambled  to 
their  feet  and  made  off  as  fast  as  they  could  run. 

Private  Files  could  not  see  them  go  but  he  knew  from  the 
sound  of  their  voices  that  they  had  escaped,  so  he  ceased  to 
worry  about  them. 

"Pardon  me  if  I  now  bid  you  good-bye/'  he  said  to  the  Rak. 
"The  parting  is  caused  by  our  desire  to  continue  our  journey. 
If  you  die,  do  not  blame  me,  for  I  was  obliged  to  shoot  you  as  a 
matter  of  self-protection." 

"I  shall  not  die,"  answered  the  monster,  "for  I  bear  a 
charmed  life.  But  I  beg  you  not  to  leave  me !" 

"Why  not?"  asked  Files. 

"Because  my  broken  jaw  will  heal  in  about  an  hour,  and 
then  I  shall  be  able  to  eat  you.  My  wing  will  heal  in  a  day 
and  my  leg  will  heal  in  a  week,  when  I  shall  be  as  well  as  ever. 
Having  shot  me,  and  so  caused  me  all  this  annoyance,  it  is 
only  fair  and  just  that  you  remain  here  and  allow  me  to  eat 
you  as  soon  as  I  can  open  my  jaws." 

"I  beg  to  differ  with  you,"  returned  the  soldier  firmly.    "I ; 
have  made  an  engagement  with  Queen  Ann  of  Oogaboo  to 

36 


Chapter  Three 


help  her  conquer  the  world,  and  I  cannot  break  my  word  for 
the  sake  of  being  eaten  by  a  Rak." 

"Oh;  that's  different/'  said  the  monster.  "If  you've  an 
engagement,  don't  let  me  detain  you." 

So  Files  felt  around  in  the  dark  and  grasped  the  hand  of  the 
trembling  Queen,  whom  he  led  away  from  the  flapping,  sighing 
Rak.  They  stumbled  over  the  stones  for  a  way  but  presently 
began  to  see  dimly  the  path  ahead  of  them,  as  they  got  farther 
and  farther  away  from  the  dreadful  spot  where  the  wounded 
monster  lay. 

By  and  by  they  reached  a  little  hill  and  could  see  the  last 
rays  of  the  sun  flooding  a  pretty  valley  beyond,  for  now  they 
had  passed  beyond  the  cloudy  breath  of  the  Rak.  Here  were 
huddled  the  sixteen  officers,  still  frightened  and  panting  from 
their  run.  They  had  halted  only  because  it  was  impossible  for 
them  to  run  any  farther. 

Queen  Ann  gave  them  a  severe  scolding  for  their  cowardice, 
at  the  same  time  praising  Files  for  his  courage. 

"We  are  wiser  than  he,  however,"  muttered  General  Clock, 
"for  by  running  away  we  are  now  able  to  assist  Your  Majesty 
in  conquering  the  world;  whereas,  had  Files  been  eaten  by  the 
Rak,  he  would  have  deserted  your  Army." 

After  a  brief  rest  they  descended  into  the  valley,  and  as 
soon  as  they  were  out  of  sight  of  the  Rak  the  spirits  of  the 
entire  party  rose  quickly.  Just  at  dusk  they  came  to  a  brook, 

37 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


on  the  banks  of  which  Queen  Ann  commanded  them  to  make 
camp  for  the  night. 

Each  officer  carried  in  his  pocket  a  tiny  white  tent.  This, 
when  placed  upon  the  ground,  quickly  grew  in  size  until  it  was 
large  enough  to  permit  the  owner  to  enter  it  and  sleep  within 
its  canvas  walls.  Files  was  obliged  to  carry  a  knapsack,  in 
which  was  not  only  his  own  tent  but  an  elaborate  pavilion  for 
Queen  Ann,  besides  a  bed  and  chair  and  a  magic  table.  This 
table,  when  set  upon  the  ground  in  Ann's  pavilion,  became 
of  large  size,  and  in  a  drawer  of  the  table  was  contained  the 
Queen's  supply  of  extra  clothing,  her  manicure  and  toilet 
articles  and  other  necessary  things.  The  royal  bed  was  the 
only  one  in  the  camp,  the  officers  and  private  sleeping  in  ham 
mocks  attached  to  their  tent  poles. 

There  was  also  in  the  knapsack  a  flag  bearing  the  royal 
emblem  of  Oogaboo,  and  this  flag  Files  flew  upon  its  staff 
every  night,  to  show  that  the  country  they  were  in  had  been 
conquered  by  the  Queen  of  Oogaboo.  So  far,  no  one  but  them 
selves  had  seen  the  flag,  but  Ann  was  pleased  to  see  it  flutter 
in  the  breeze  and  considered  herself  already  a  famous 
conqueror. 


CHAPTER  4 

Betsy  Braves  the  Billows 

THE  waves  dashed  and  the  lightning  flashed  and  the  thunder 
rolled  and  the  ship  struck  a  rock.  Betsy  Bobbin  was  running 
across  the  deck  and  the  shock  sent  her  flying  through  the  air 
until  she  fell  with  a  splash  into  the  dark  blue  water.  The 
same  shock  caught  Hank,  a  thin  little,  sad-faced  mule,  and 
tumbled  him  also  into  the  sea,  far  from  the  ship's  side. 

When  Betsy  came  up,  gasping  for  breath  because  the  wet 
plunge  had  surprised  her,  she  reached  out  in  the  dark  and 
grabbed  a  bunch  of  hair.  At  first  she  thought  it  was  the  end  of 
a  rope,  but  presently  she  heard  a  dismal  "Hee-haw !"  and  knew 
she  was  holding  fast  to  the  end  of  Hank's  tail. 

Suddenly  the  sea  was  lighted  up  by  a  vivid  glare.  The 

39 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


ship,  now  in  the  far  distance,  caught  fire,  blew  up  and  sank 
beneath  the  waves. 

Betsy  shuddered  at  the  sight,  but  just  then  her  eye  caught 
a  mass  of  wreckage  floating  near  her  and  she  let  go  the  mule's 
tail  and  seized  the  rude  raft,  pulling  herself  up  so  that  she  rode 
upon  it  in  safety.  Hank  also  saw  the  raft  and  swam  to  it,  but 
he  was  so  clumsy  he  never  would  have  been  able  to  climb  upon 
it  had  not  Betsy  helped  him  to  get  aboard. 

They  had  to  crowd  close  together,  for  their  support  was 
only  a  hatch-cover  torn  from  the  ship's  deck;  but  it  floated 
them  fairly  well  and  both  the  girl  and  the  mule  knew  it  would 
keep  them  from  drowning. 

The  storm  was  not  over,  by  any  means,  when  the  ship  went 
down.  Blinding  bolts  of  lightning  shot  from  cloud  to  cloud 
and  the  clamor  of  deep  thunderclaps  echoed  far  over  the  sea. 
The  waves  tossed  the  little  raft  here  and  there  as  a  child  tosses 
a  rubber  ball  and  Betsy  had  a  solemn  feeling  that  for  hundreds 
of  watery  miles  in  every  direction  there  was  no  living  thing 
besides  herself  and  the  small  donkey. 

Perhaps  Hank  had  the  same  thought,  for  he  gently  rubbed 
his  nose  against  the  frightened  girl  and  said  "Hee-haw!"  in 
his  softest  voice,  as  if  to  comfort  her. 

"You'll  protect  me,  Hank  dear,  won't  you?"  she  cried 
helplessly,  and  the  mule  said  "Hee-haw!"  again,  in  tones  that 
meant  a  promise. 

40 


Chapter  Four 


On  board  the  ship,  during  the  days  that  preceded  the  wreck, 
when  the  sea  was  calm,  Betsy  and  Hank  had  become  good 
friends;  so,  while  the  girl  might  have  preferred  a  more  power 
ful  protector  in  this  dreadful  emergency,  she  felt  that  the  mule 
would  do  all  in  a  mule's  power  to  guard  her  safety. 

All  night  they  floated,  and  when  the  storm  had  worn  itself 
out  and  passed  away  with  a  few  distant  growls,  and  the  waves 
had  grown  smaller  and  easier  to  ride,  Betsy  stretched  herself 
out  on  the  wet  raft  and  fell  asleep. 

Hank  did  not  sleep  a  wink.  Perhaps  he  felt  it  his  duty  to 
guard  Betsy.  Anyhow,  he  crouched  on  the  raft  beside  the  tired 
sleeping  girl  and  watched  patiently  until  the  first  light  of 
dawn  swept  over  the  sea. 

The  light  wakened  Betsy  Bobbin.  She  sat  up,  rubbed  her 
eyes  and  stared  across  the  water. 

"Oh,  Hank;  there's  land  ahead!"  she  exclaimed. 

"Hee-haw !"  answered  Hank  in  his  plaintive  voice. 

The  raft  was  floating  swiftly  toward  a  very  beautiful  coun 
try  and  as  they  drew  near  Betsy  could  see  banks  of  lovely 
flowers  showing  brightly  between  leafy  trees.  But  no  people 
were  to  be  seen  at  all. 


CHAPTER  5 

The  Roses  Repulse  the  Refugees 

GENTLY  the  raft  grated  on  the  sandy  beach.  Then  Betsy 
easily  waded  ashore,  the  mule  following  closely  behind  her. 
The  sun  was  now  shining  and  the  air  was  warm  and  laden  with 
the  fragrance  of  roses. 

"I'd  like  some  breakfast,  Hank,"  remarked  the  girl,  feeling 
more  cheerful  now  that  she  was  on  dry  land;  "but  we  can't  eat 
the  flowers,  although  they  do  smell  mighty  good." 

"Hee-haw !"  replied  Hank  and  trotted  up  a  little  pathway 
to  the  top  of  the  bank. 

Betsy  followed  and  from  the  eminence  looked  around  her. 
A  little  way  off  stood  a  splendid  big  greenhouse,  its  thousands 
of  crystal  panes  glittering  in  the  sunlight. 

42 


Chapter  Five 


"There  ought  to  be  people  ccinewhere  'round/'  observed 
Betsy  thoughtfully;  "gardeners,  or  somebody.  Let's  go  and 
see,  Hank.  I'm  getting  hungrier  ev'ry  minute." 

So  they  walked  toward  the  great  greenhouse  and  came  to  its 
entrance  without  meeting  with  anyone  at  all.  A  door  stood 
ajar,  so  Hank  went  in  first,  thinking  if  there  was  any  danger 
he  could  back  out  and  warn  his  companion.  But  Betsy  was 
close  at  his  heels  and  the  moment  she  entered  was  lost  in 
amazement  at  the  wonderful  sight  she  saw. 

The  greenhouse  was  filled  with  magnificent  rosebushes,  all 
growing  in  big  pots.  On  the  central  stem  of  each  bush 
bloomed  a  splendid  Rose,  gorgeously  colored  and  deliciously 
fragrant,  and  in  the  center  of  each  Rose  was  the  face  of  a 
lovely  girl. 

As  Betsy  and  Hank  entered,  the  heads  of  the  Roses  were 
drooping  and  their  eyelids  were  closed  in  slumber;  but  the 
mule  was  so  amazed  that  he  uttered  a  loud  "Hee-haw !"  and  at 
the  sound  of  his  harsh  voice  the  rose  leaves  fluttered,  the  Roses 
raised  their  heads  and  a  hundred  startled  eyes  were  instantly 
fixed  upon  the  intruders. 

"I — I  beg  your  pardon!"  stammered  Betsy,  blushing  and 
confused. 

"O-o-o-h !"  cried  the  Roses,  in  a  sort  of  sighing  chorus ;  and 
one  of  them  added :  "What  a  horrid  noise !" 

"Why,  that  was  only  Hank,"  said  Betsy,  and  as  if  to  prove 

43 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


the  truth  of  her  words  the  mule  uttered  another  loud  "Hee 
haw!" 

At  this  all  the  Roses  turned  on  their  stems  as  far  as  they 
were  able  and  trembled  as  if  some  one  were  shaking  their 
bushes.  A  dainty  Moss  Rose  gasped:  "Dear  me!  How 
dreadfully  dreadful!" 

"It  isn't  dreadful  at  all/'  said  Betsy,  somewhat  indignant. 
"When  you  get  used  to  Hank's  voice  it  will  put  you  to  sleep." 

The  Roses  now  looked  at  the  mule  less  fearfully  and  one 
of  them  asked  : 

"Is  that  savage  beast  named  Hank?" 

"Yes;  Hank's  my  comrade,  faithful  and  true,"  answered 
the  girl,  twining  her  arms  around  the  little  mule's  neck  and 
hugging  him  tight.  "Aren't  you,  Hank?" 

Hank  could  only  say  in  reply :  "Hee-haw !"  and  at  his  bray 
the  Roses  shivered  again.  ^ 

"Please  go  away!"  begged  one.  "Can't  you  see  you're 
frightening  us  out  of  a  week's  growth?" 

"Go  away!"  echoed  Betsy.  "Why,  we've  no  place  to  go. 
We've  just  been  wrecked." 

"Wrecked?"  asked  the  Roses  in  a  surprised  chorus. 

"Yes;  we  were  on  a  big  ship  and  the  storm  came  and 
wrecked  it,"  explained  the  girl.  "But  Hank  and  I  caught  hold 
of  a  raft  and  floated  ashore  to  this  place,  and — we're  tired  and 
hungry.  What  country  is  this,  please?" 

44 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


'This  is  the  Rose  Kingdom,"  replied  the  Moss  Rose, 
haughtily,  "and  it  is  devoted  to  the  culture  of  the  rarest  and 
fairest  Roses  grown/' 

"I  believe  it,"  said  Betsy,  admiring  the  pretty  blossoms. 

"But  only  Roses  are  allowed  here,"  continued  a  delicate 
Tea  Rose,  bending  her  brows  in  a  frown;  "therefore  you  must 
go  away  before  the  Royal  Gardener  finds  you  and  casts  you 
back  into  the  sea." 

"Oh!    Is  there  a  Royal  Gardener,  then?'  inquired  Betsy. 

"To  be  sure." 

"And  is  he  a  Rose,  also*?" 

"Of  course  not;  he's  a  man — a  wonderful  man,"  was  the 
reply. 

"Well,  I'm  not  afraid  of  a  man,"  declared  the  girl,  much 
relieved,  and  even  as  she  spoke  the  Royal  Gardener  popped 
into  the  greenhouse — a  spading  fork  in  one  hand  and  a  water 
ing  pot  in  the  other. 

He  was  a  funny  little  man,  dressed  in  a  rose-colored  cos 
tume,  with  ribbons  at  his  knees  and  elbows,  and  a  bunch  of 
ribbons  in  his  hair.  His  eyes  were  small  and  twinkling,  his 
nose  sharp  and  his  face  puckered  and  deeply  lined. 

"O-ho!"  he  exclaimed,  astonished  to  find  strangers  in  his 
greenhouse,  and  when  HanR  gave  a  loud^bray  the  Gardener 
threw  the  watering  pot  over  the  mule's  head  and  danced 
around  with  his  fork*  in  such  agitation  that  presently  he  fell 


Chapter  Five 


over  the  handle  of  the  implement  and  sprawled  at  full  length 
upon  the  ground. 

Betsy  laughed  and  pulled  the  watering  pot  off  from  Hank's 
head.  The  little  mule  was  angry  at  the  treatment  he  had 
received  and  backed  toward  the  Gardener  threateningly. 

"Look  out  for  his  heels!"  called  Betsy  warningly  and  the 
Gardener  scrambled  to  his  feet  and  hastily  hid  behind  the 
Roses. 

"You  are  breaking  the  Law!"  he  shouted,  sticking  out  his 
head  to  glare  at  the  girl  and  the  mule. 

"What  Law?"  asked  Betsy. 

"The  Law  of  the  Rose  Kingdom.  No  strangers  are 
allowed  in  these  domains." 

"Not  when  they're  shipwrecked?"  she  inquired. 

"The  Law  doesn't  except  shipwrecks,"  replied  the  Royal 
Gardener,  and  he  was  about  to  say  more  when  suddenly  there 
was  a  crash  of  glass  and  a  man  came  tumbling  through  the 
roof  of  the  greenhouse  and  fell  plump  to  the  ground. 


47 


CHAPTER  6 

Shaggy  Seeks  his  Stray  Brother 

THIS  sudden  arrival  was  a  queer  looking  man,  dressed  all  in 
garments  so  shaggy  that  Betsy  at  first  thought  he  must  be  some 
animal.  But  the  stranger  ended  his  fall  in  a  sitting  position 
and  then  the  girl  saw  it  was  really  a  man.  He  held  an  apple  in 
his  hand,  which  he  had  evidently  been  eating  when  he  fell,  and 
so  little  was  he  jarred  or  flustered  by  the  accident  that  he  con 
tinued  to  munch  this  apple  as  he  calmly  looked  around  him. 

"Good  gracious!"  exclaimed  Betsy,  approaching  him. 
"Who  are  you,  and  where  did  you  come  from?" 

"Me  ?  Oh,  I'm  Shaggy  Man,"  said  he,  taking  another  bite 
of  the  apple.  "Just  dropped  in  for  a  short  call.  Excuse  my 
seeming  haste." 


Chapter  Six 


"Why,  I  s'pose  you  couldn't  help  the  haste,"  said  Betsy. 

"No.  I  climbed  an  apple  tree,  outside;  branch  gave  way 
and — here  I  am." 

As  he  spoke  the  Shaggy  Man  finished  his  apple,  gave  the 
core  to  Hank — who  ate  it  greedily — and  then  stood  up  to  bow 
politely  to  Betsy  and  the  Roses. 

The  Royal  Gardener  had  been  frightened  nearly  into  fits 
by  the  crash  of  glass  and  the  fall  of  the  shaggy  stranger  into 
the  bower  of  Roses,  but  now  he  peeped  out  from  behind  a  bush 
and  cried  in  his  squeaky  voice : 

"You're  breaking  the  Law!    You're  breaking  the  Law!" 

Shaggy  stared  at  him  solemnly. 

"Is  the  glass  the  Law  in  this  country?"  he  asked. 

"Breaking  the  glass  is  breaking  the  Law,"  squeaked  the 
Gardener,  angrily.  "Also,  to  intrude  in  any  part  of  the  Rose 
Kingdom  is  breaking  the  Law." 

"How  do  you  know?"  asked  Shaggy. 

"Why,  it's  printed  in  a  book,"  said  the  Gardener,  coming 
forward  and  taking  a  small  book  from  his  pocket.  "Page  thir 
teen.  Here  it  is :  If  any  stranger  enters  the  Rose  Kingdom  he 
shall  at  once  be  condemned  by  the  Ruler  and  put  to  death/ 
So  you  see,  strangers,"  he  continued  triumphantly,  "it's  death 
for  you  all  and  your  time  has  come !" 

But  just  here  Hank  interposed.  He  had  been  stealthily 
backing  toward  the  Royal  Gardener,  whom  he  disliked,  and 

49 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


now  the  mule's  heels  shot  out  and  struck  the  little  man  in  the 
middle.  He  doubled  up  like  the  letter  "U"  and  flew  out  of 
the  door  so  swiftly — never  touching  the  ground — that  he  was 
gone  before  Betsy  had  time  to  wink. 

But  the  mule's  attack  frightened  the  girl. 

"Come,"  she  whispered,  approaching  the  Shaggy  Man  and 
taking  his  hand;  "let's  go  somewhere  else.  They'll  surely  kill 
us  if  we  stay  here!" 

"Don't  worry,  my  dear,"  replied  Shaggy,  patting  the 
child's  head.  "I'm  not  afraid  of  anything,  so  long  as  I  have 
the  Love  Magnet." 

"The  Love  Magnet!    Why,  what  is  that?'  asked  Betsy. 

"It's  a  charming  little  enchantment  that  wins  the  heart  of 
everyone  who  looks  upon  it,"  was  the  reply.  "The  Love 
Magnet  used  to  hang  over  the  gateway  to  the  Emerald  City, 
in  the  Land  of  Oz;  but  when  I  started  on  this  journey  our 
beloved  Ruler,  Ozma  of  Oz,  allowed  me  to  take  it  with  me." 

"Oh!"  cried  Betsy,  staring  hard  at  him;  "are  you  really 
from  the  wonderful  Land  of  Oz'?" 

"Yes.    Ever  been  there,  my  dear  ?" 

"No;  but  I've  heard  about  it.  And  do  you  know  Princess 
Ozma?" 

"Very  well  indeed." 

"And — and  Princess  Dorothy?" 

"Dorothy's  an  old  chum  of  mine,"  declared  Shaggy. 

50 


Chapter  Six 


"Dear  me!"  exclaimed  Betsy.  "And  why  did  you  ever 
leave  such  a  beautiful  land  as  Oz?" 

"On  an  errand,"  said  Shaggy,  looking  sad  and  solemn. 
"I'm  trying  to  find  my  dear  little  brother." 

"Oh!  Is  he  lost?"  questioned  Betsy,  feeling  very  sorry 
for  the  poor  man. 

"Been  lost  these  ten  years,"  replied  Shaggy,  taking  out  a 
handkerchief  and  wiping  a  tear  from  his  eye.  "I  didn't  know 
it  until  lately,  when  I  saw  it  recorded  in  the  magic  Record 
Book  of  the  Sorceress  Glinda,  in  the  Land  of  Oz.  So  now  I'm 
trying  to  find  him." 

"Where  was  he  lost?"  asked  the  girl  sympathetically. 

"Back  in  Colorado,  where  I  used  to  live  before  I  went  to 
Oz.  Brother  was  a  miner,  and  dug  gold  out  of  a  mine.  One 
day  he  went  into  his  mine  and  never  came  out.  They  searched 
for  him,  but  he  was  not  there.  Disappeared  entirely,"  Shaggy 
ended  miserably. 

"For  goodness  sake !  What  do  you  s'pose  became  of  him?" 
she  asked. 

"There  is  only  one  explanation,"  replied  Shaggy,  taking 
another  apple  from  his  pocket  and  eating  it  to  relieve  his 
misery.  "The  Nome  King  probably  got  him." 

"The  Nome  King !    Who  is  he  ?" 

"Why,  he's  sometimes  called  the  Metal  Monarch,  and  his 
name  is  Ruggedo.  Lives  in  some  underground  cavern. 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


Claims  to  own  all  the  metals  hidden  in  the  earth.    Don't  ask 
me  why." 

"Why?" 

"  'Cause  I  don't  know.  But  this  Ruggedo  gets  wild  with 
anger  if  anyone  digs  gold  out  of  the  earth,  and  my  private 
opinion  is  that  he  captured  brother  and  carried  him  off  to  his 
underground  kingdom.  No — don't  ask  me  why.  I  see  you're 
dying  to  ask  me  why.  But  I  don't  know." 

' 'But — dear  me ! — in  that  case  you  will  never  find  your  lost 
brother!"  exclaimed  the  girl. 

"Maybe  not;  but  it's  my  duty  to  try,"  answered  Shaggy. 
"I've  wandered  so  far  without  finding  him,  but  that  only 
proves  he  is  not  where  I've  been  looking.  What  I  seek  now  is 
the  hidden  passage  to  the  underground  cavern  of  the  terrible 
Metal  Monarch." 

"Well,"  said  Betsy  doubtfully,  "it  strikes  me  that  if  you 
ever  manage  to  get  there  the  Metal  Monarch  will  make  you, 
too,  his  prisoner." 

"Nonsense!"  answered  Shaggy,  carelessly.  "You  mustn't 
forget  the  Love  Magnet." 

"What  about  it?"  she  asked. 

"When  the  fierce  Metal  Monarch  sees  the  Love  Magnet, 
he  will  love  me  dearly  and  do  anything  I  ask." 

"It  must  be  wonderful,"  said  Betsy,  with  awe. 

"It  is,"  the  man  assured  her.    "Shall  I  show  it  to  you?" 

52 


Chapter  Six 


"Oh,  do!"  she  cried;  so  Shaggy  searched  in  his  shaggy 
pocket  and  drew  out  a  small  silver  magnet,  shaped  like  a 
horseshoe. 

The  moment  Betsy  saw  it  she  began  to  like  the  Shaggy 
Man  better  than  before.  Hank  also  saw  the  Magnet  and 
crept  up  to  Shaggy  to  rub  his  head  lovingly  against  the 
man's  knee. 

But  they  were  interrupted  by  the  Royal  Gardener,  who 
stuck  his  head  into  the  greenhouse  and  shouted  angrily : 

"You  are  all  condemned  to  death!  Your  only  chance  to 
escape  is  to  leave  here  instantly/' 

This  startled  little  Betsy,  but  the  Shaggy  Man  merely 
waved  the  Magnet  toward  the  Gardener,  who,  seeing  it, 
rushed  forward  and  threw  himself  at  Shaggy' s  feet,  murmur 
ing  in  honeyed  words : 

"Oh,  you  lovely,  lovely  man!  How  fond  I  am  of  you! 
Every  shag  and  bobtail  that  decorates  you  is  dear  to  me — all 
I  have  is  yours !  But  for  goodness'  sake  get  out  of  here  before 
you  die  the  death." 

"I'm  not  going  to  die,"  declared  Shaggy  Man. 

:t You  must.  It's  the  Law,"  exclaimed  the  Gardener,  begin 
ning  to  weep  real  tears.  "It  breaks  my  heart  to  tell  you  this 
bad  news,  but  the  Law  says  that  all  strangers  must  be  con 
demned  by  the  Ruler  to  die  the  death." 

"No  Ruler  has  condemned  us  yet,"  said  Betsy. 

53 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"Of  course  not,"  added  Shaggy.  "We  haven't  even  seen 
the  Ruler  of  the  Rose  Kingdom." 

"Well,  to  tell  the  truth,"  said  the  Gardener,  in  a  perplexed 
tone  of  voice,  "we  haven't  any  real  Ruler,  just  now.  You  see, 
all  our  Rulers  grow  on  bushes  in  the  Royal  Gardens,  and  the 
last  one  we  had  got  mildewed  and  withered  before  his  time. 
So  we  had  to  plant  him,  and  at  this  time  there  is  no  one  grow 
ing  on  the  Royal  Bushes  who  is  ripe  enough  to  pick." 

"How  do  you  know?"  asked  Betsy. 

"Why,  I'm  the  Royal  Gardener.  Plenty  of  royalties  are 
growing,  I  admit;  but  just  now  they  are  all  green.  Until  one 
ripens,  I  am  supposed  to  rule  the  Rose  Kingdom  myself,  and 
see  that  its  Laws  are  obeyed.  Therefore,  much  as  I  love  you, 
Shaggy,  I  must  put  you  to  death." 

"Wait  a  minute,"  pleaded  Betsy.  "I'd  like  to  see  those 
Royal  Gardens  before  I  die.5' 

"So  would  I,"  added  Shaggy  Man.  "Take  us  there. 
Gardener." 

"Oh,  I  can't  do  that,"  objected  the  Gardener.  But 
Shaggy  again  showed  him  the  Love  Magnet  and  after  one 
glance  at  it  the  Gardener  could  no  longer  resist. 

He  led  Shaggy,  Betsy  and  Hank  to  the  end  of  the  great 
greenhouse  and  carefully  unlocked  a  small  door.  Passing 
through  this  they  came  into  the  splendid  Royal  Garden  of  the 
Rose  Kingdom. 

54 


Chapter  Six 


It  was  all  surrounded  by  a  tall  hedge  and  within  the 
enclosure  grew  several  enormous  rosebushes  having  thick 
green  leaves  of  the  texture  of  velvet.  Upon  these  bushes  grew 
the  members  of  the  Royal  Family  of  the  Rose  Kingdom — 
men,  women  and  children  in  all  stages  of  maturity.  They  all 
seemed  to  have  a  light  green  hue,  as  if  unripe  or  not  fully 
developed,  their  flesh  and  clothing  being  alike  green.  They 
stood  perfectly  lifeless  upon  their  branches,  which  swayed 
softly  in  the  breeze,  and  their  wide-open  eyes  stared  straight 
ahead,  unseeing  and  unintelligent. 

While  examining  these  curious  growing  people,  Betsy 
passed  behind  a  big  central  bush  and  at  once  uttered  an 
exclamation  of  surprise  and  pleasure.  For  there,  blooming  in 
perfect  color  and  shape,  stood  a  Royal  Princess,  whose  beauty 
was  amazing. 

"Why,  she's  ripe!"  cried  Betsy,  pushing  aside  some  of  the 
broad  leaves  to  observe  her  more  clearly. 

"Well,  perhaps  so,"  admitted  the  Gardener,  who  had  come 
to  the  girl's  side;  "but  she's  a  girl,  and  so  we  can't  use  her  for 
a  Ruler." 

"No,  indeed!"  came  a  chorus  of  soft  voices,  and  looking 
around  Betsy  discovered  that  all  the  Roses  had  followed  them 
from  the  greenhouse  and  were  now  grouped  before  the 
entrance. 

"You  see,"  explained  the  Gardener,  "the  subjects  of  Rose 

55 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


Kingdom  don't  want  a  girl  Ruler.    They  want  a  King." 

"A  King!  We  want  a  King!"  repeated  the  chorus  of 
Roses. 

"Isn't  she  Royal?"  inquired  Shaggy,  admiring  the  lovely 
Princess. 

"Of  course,  for  she  grows  on  a  Royal  Bush.  This  Princess 
is  named  Ozga,  as  she  is  a  distant  cousin  of  Ozma  of  Oz;  and, 
were  she  but  a  man,  we  would  joyfully  hail  her  as  our  Ruler." 

The  Gardener  then  turned  away  to  talk  with  his  Roses  and 
Betsy  whispered  to  her  companion :  "Let's  pick  her,  Shaggy." 

"All  right,"  said  he.  "If  she's  royal,  she  has  the  right  to 
rule  this  Kingdom,  and  if  we  pick  her  she  will  surely  protect  us 
and  prevent  our  being  hurt,  or  driven  away." 

So  Betsy  and  Shaggy  each  took  an  arm  of  the  beautiful 
Rose  Princess  and  a  little  twist  of  her  feet  set  her  free  of  the 
branch  upon  which  she  grew.  Very  gracefully  she  stepped 
down  from  the  bush  to  the  ground,  where  she  bowed  low  to 
Betsy  and  Shaggy  and  said  in  a  delightfully  sweet  voice: 
"I  thank  you." 

But  at  the  sound  of  these  words  the  Gardener  and  the 
Roses  turned  and  discovered  that  the  Princess  had  been 
picked,  and  was  now  alive.  Over  every  face  flashed  an  expres 
sion  of  resentment  and  anger,  and  one  of  the  Roses  cried 
aloud : 

"Audacious  mortals !    What  have  you  done  ?" 

58 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


'Ticked  a  Princess  for  you,  that's  all,"  replied  Betsy, 
cheerfully. 

"But  we  won't  have  her!  We  want  a  King!"  exclaimed 
a  Jacque  Rose,  and  another  added  with  a  voice  of  scorn :  "No 
girl  shall  rule  over  us !" 

The  newly-picked  Princess  looked  from  one  to  another  of 
her  rebellious  subjects  in  astonishment.  A  grieved  look  came 
over  her  exquisite  features. 

"Have  I  no  welcome  here,  pretty  subjects?"  she  asked 
gently.  "Have  I  not  come  from  my  Royal  Bush  to  be  your 
Ruler?" 

"You  were  picked  by  mortals,  without  our  consent," 
replied  the  Moss  Rose,  coldly;  "so  we  refuse  to  allow  you  to 
rule  us." 

"Turn  her  out,  Gardener,  with  the  others!"  cried  the  Tea 
Rose. 

"Just  a  second,  please !"  called  Shaggy,  taking  the  Love 
Magnet  from  his  pocket.  "I  guess  this  will  win  their  love, 
Princess.  Here — take  it  in  your  hand  and  let  the  roses 


see  it." 


Princess  Ozga  took  the  Magnet  and  held  it  poised  before 
the  eyes  of  her  subjects;  but  the  Roses  regarded  it  with  calm 
disdain. 

"Why,  what's  the  matter*?"  demanded  Shaggy  in  surprise. 
"The  Magnet  never  failed  to  work  before !" 

60 


Chapter  Six 


"I  know/'  said  Betsy,  nodding  her  head  wisely.  "These 
Roses  have  no  hearts." 

"That's  it,"  agreed  the  Gardener.  "They're  pretty,  and 
sweet,  and  alive ;  but  still  they  are  Roses.  Their  stems  have 
thorns,  but  no  hearts." 

The  Princess  sighed  and  handed  the  Magnet  to  the  Shaggy 
Man. 

"What  shall  I  do?"  she  asked  sorrowfully. 

"Turn  her  out,  Gardener,  with  the  others!"  commanded 
the  Roses.  "We  will  have  no  Ruler  until  a  man-rose — a  King 
— is  ripe  enough  to  pick." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  Gardener  meekly.  "You  must 
excuse  me,  my  dear  Shaggy,  for  opposing  your  wishes,  but  you 
and  the  others,  including  Ozga,  must  get  out  of  Rose  King 
dom  immediately,  if  not  before." 

"Don't  you  love  me,  Gardy?"  asked  Shaggy,  carelessly 
displaying  the  Magnet. 

"I  do.  I  dote  on  thee !"  answered  the  Gardener  earnestly; 
"but  no  true  man  will  neglect  his  duty  for  the  sake  of  love. 
My  duty  is  to  drive  you  out,  so — out  you  go !" 

With  this  he  seized  a  garden  fork  and  began  jabbing  it  at 
the  strangers,  in  order  to  force  them  to  leave.  Hank  the  mule 
was  not  afraid  of  the  fork  and  when  he  got  his  heels  near  to  the 
Gardener  the  man  fell  back  to  avoid  a  kick. 

But  now  the  Roses  crowded  around  the  outcasts  and  it 

6l 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


was  soon  discovered  that  beneath  their  draperies  of  green 
leaves  were  many  sharp  thorns  which  were  more  dangerous 
than  Hank's  heels.  Neither  Betsy  nor  Ozga  nor  Shaggy  nor 
the  mule  cared  to  brave  those  thorns  and  when  they  pressed 
away  from  them  they  found  themselves  slowly  driven 
through  the  garden  door  into  the  greenhouse.  From  there  they 
were  forced  out  at  the  entrance  and  so  through  the  territory 
of  the  flower-strewn  Rose  Kingdom,  which  was  not  of  very 
great  extent. 

The  Rose  Princess  was  sobbing  bitterly;  Betsy  was  indig 
nant  and  angry;  Hank  uttered  defiant  "Hee-haws"  and  the 
Shaggy  Man  whistled  softly  to  himself. 

The  boundary  of  the  Rose  Kingdom  was  a  deep  gulf,  but 
there  was  a  drawbridge  in  one  place  and  this  the  Royal  Gar 
dener  let  down  until  the  outcasts  had  passed  over  it.  Then  he 
drew  it  up  again  and  returned  with  his  Roses  to  the  green 
house,  leaving  the  four  queerly  assorted  comrades  to  wander 
into  the  bleak  and  unknown  country  that  lay  beyond. 

"I  don't  mind,  much,"  remarked  Shaggy,  as  he  led  the  way 
over  the  stony,  barren  ground.  "I've  got  to  search  for  my  long- 
lost  little  brother,  anyhow,  so  it  won't  matter  where  I  go." 

"Hank  and  I  will  help  you  find  your  brother,"  said  Betsy 
in  her  most  cheerful  voice.  "I'm  so  far  away  from  home  now 
that  I  don't  s'pose  I'll  ever  find  my  way  back;  and,  to  tell  the 
truth,  it's  more  fun  traveling  around  and  having  adventures 

62 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


than  sticking  at  home.    Don't  you  think  so,  Hank?" 

"Hee-haw!"  said  Hank,  and  the  Shaggy  Man  thanked 
them  both. 

"For  my  part,"  said  Princess  Ozga  of  Roseland,  with  a 
gentle  sigh,  "I  must  remain  forever  exiled  from  my  Kingdom. 
So  I,  too,  will  be  glad  to  help  the  Shaggy  Man  find  his  lost 
brother." 

"That's  very  kind  of  you,  ma'am,"  said  Shaggy.  "But 
unless  I  can  find  the  underground  cavern  of  Ruggedo,*  the 
Metal  Monarch,  I  shall  never  find  poor  brother." 

"Doesn't  anyone  know  where  it  is?"  inquired  Betsy. 

"Some  one  must  know,  of  course,"  was  Shaggy's  reply. 
"But  we  are  not  the  ones.  The  only  way  to  succeed  is  for  us 
to  keep  going  until  we  find  a  person  who  can  direct  us  to 
Ruggedo's  cavern." 

"We  may  find  it  ourselves,  without  any  help,"  suggested 
Betsy.  "Who knows?" 

"No  one  knows  that,  except  the  person  who's  writing  this 
story,"  said  Shaggy.  "But  we  won't  find  anything — not  even 
supper — unless  we  travel  on.  Here's  a  path.  Let's  take  it 
and  see  where  it  leads  to." 


*This  King  was  formerly  named  "Roquat,"  but  after  he  drank  of  the 
"Waters  of  Oblivion"  he  forgot  his  own  name  and  had  to  take  another. 


64 


CHAPTER  7 

Polychrome's  Pitiful  Plight 

THE  Rain  King  got  too  much  water  in  his  basin  and  spilled 
some  over  the  brim.  That  made  it  rain  in  a  certain  part  of  the 
country — a  real  hard  shower,  for  a  time — and  sent  the  Rain 
bow  scampering  to  the  place  to  show  the  gorgeous  colors  of 
his  glorious  bow  as  soon  as  the  mist  of  rain  had  passed  and  the 
sky  was  clear. 

The  coming  of  the  Rainbow  is  always  a  joyous  event  to 
earth  folk,  yet  few  have  ever  seen  it  close  by.  Usually  the 
Rainbow  is  so  far  distant  that  you  can  observe  its  splendid 
hues  but  dimly,  and  that  is  why  we  seldom  catch  sight  of  the 
dancing  Daughters  of  the  Rainbow. 

In  the  barren  country  where  the  rain  had  just  fallen  there 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


appeared  to  be  no  human  beings  at  all;  but  the  Rainbow 
appeared,  just  the  same,  and  dancing  gayly  upon  its  arch  were 
the  Rainbow's  Daughters,  led  by  the  fairylike  Polychrome, 
who  is  so  dainty  and  beautiful  that  no  girl  has  ever  quite 
equalled  her  in  loveliness. 

Polychrome  was  in  a  merry  mood  and  danced  down  the  arch 
of  the  bow  to  the  ground,  daring  her  sisters  to  follow  her. 
Laughing  and  gleeful,  they  also  touched  the  ground  with  their 
twinkling  feet;  but  all  the  Daughters  of  the  Rainbow  knew 
that  this  was  a  dangerous  pastime,  so  they  quickly  climbed 
upon  their  bow  again. 

All  but  Polychrome.  Though  the  sweetest  and  merriest 
of  them  all,  she  was  likewise  the  most  reckless.  Moreover,  it 
was  an  unusual  sensation  to  pat  the  cold,  damp  earth  with  her 
rosy  toes.  Before  she  realized  it  the  bow  had  lifted  and  disap 
peared  in  the  billowy  blue  sky,  and  here  was  Polychrome 
standing  helpless  upon  a  rock,  her  gauzy  draperies  floating 
about  her  like  brilliant  cobwebs  and  not  a  soul — fairy  or 
mortal — to  help  her  regain  her  lost  bow ! 

"Dear  me!"  she  exclaimed,  a  frown  passing  across  her 
pretty  face,  "I'm  caught  again.  This  is  the  second  time  my 
carelessness  has  left  me  on  earth  while  my  sisters  returned  to 
our  Sky  Palaces.  The  first  time  I  enjoyed  some  pleasant 
adventures,  but  this  is  a  lonely,  forsaken  country  and  I  shall 
be  very  unhappy  until  my  Rainbow  comes  again  and  I  can 

66 


Chapter  Seven 


climb  aboard.    Let  me  think  what  is  best  to  be  done." 

She  crouched  low  upon  the  flat  rock,  drew  her  draperies 
about  her  and  bowed  her  head. 

It  was  in  this  position  that  Betsy  Bobbin  spied  Polychrome 
as  she  came  along  the  stony  path,  followed  by  Hank,  the 
Princess  and  Shaggy.  At  once  the  girl  ran  up  to  the  radiant 
Daughter  of  the  Rainbow  and  exclaimed  : 

"Oh,  what  a  lovely,  lovely  creature!" 

Polychrome  raised  her  golden  head.  There  were  tears  in 
her  blue  eyes. 

"I'm  the  most  miserable  girl  in  the  whole  world!"  she 
sobbed. 
The  others  gathered  around  her. 

"Tell  us  your  troubles,  pretty  one,"  urged  the  Princess. 

"I — I've  lost  my  bow!"  wailed  Polychrome. 

"Take  me,  my  dear,"  said  Shaggy  Man  in  a  sympathetic 
tone,  thinking  she  meant  "beau"  instead  of  "bow." 

"I  don't  want  you!"  cried  Polychrome,  stamping  her  foot 
imperiously;  "I  want  my  Rainbow" 

"Oh;  that's  different,"  said  Shaggy.  "But  try  to  forget  it. 
When  I  was  young  I  used  to  cry  for  the  Rainbow  myself,  but 
I  couldn't  have  it.  Looks  as  if  you  couldn't  have  it,  either; 
so  please  don't  cry." 

Polychrome  looked  at  him  reproachfully. 

"I  don't  like  you,"  she  said. 

6? 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"No?"  replied  Shaggy,  drawing  the  Love  Magnet  from 
his  pocket;  "not  a  little  bit? — just  a  wee  speck  of  a  like?' 

"Yes,  yes !"  said  Polychrome,  clasping  her  hands  in  ecstasy 
as  she  gazed  at  the  enchanted  talisman;  "I  love  you,  Shaggy 
Man!" 

"Of  course  you  do,"  said  he  calmly;  "but  I  don't  take  any 
credit  for  it.  It's  the  Love  Magnet's  powerful  charm.  But 
you  seem  quite  alone  and  friendless,  little  Rainbow.  Don't 
you  want  to  join  our  party  until  you  find  your  father  and 
sisters  again?" 

"Where  are  you  going?"  she  asked. 

"We  don't  just  know  that,"  said  Betsy,  taking  her  hand; 
"but  we're  trying  to  find  Shaggy's  long-lost  brother,  who  has 
been  captured  by  the  terrible  Metal  Monarch.  Won't  you 
come  with  us,  and  help  us?" 

Polychrome  looked  from  one  to  another  of  the  queer  party 
of  travelers  and  a  bewitching  smile  suddenly  lighted  her  face. 

"A  donkey,  a  mortal  maid,  a  Rose  Princess  and  a  Shaggy 
Man!"  she  exclaimed.  "Surely  you  need  help,  if  you  intend 
to  face  Ruggedo." 

"Do  you  know  him,  then?"  inquired  Betsy. 

"No,  indeed.  Ruggedo's  caverns  are  beneath  the  earth's 
surface,  where  no  Rainbow  can  ever  penetrate.  But  I've 
heard  of  the  Metal  Monarch.  He  is  also  called  the  Nome 
King,  you  know,  and  he  has  made  trouble  for  a  good  many 

68 


Chapter  Seven 


people— mortals  and  fairies — in  his  time,"  said  Polychrome. 

"Do  you  fear  him,  then"?"  asked  the  Princess,  anxiously, 

"No  one  can  harm  a  Daughter  of  the  Rainbow,"  said 
Polychrome  proudly.  "Fm  a  sky  fairy." 

"Then,"  said  Betsy,  quickly,  "you  will  be  able  to  tell  us 
the  way  to  Ruggedo's  cavern." 

"No,"  returned  Polychrome,  shaking  her  head,  "that  is 
one  thing  I  cannot  do.  But  I  will  gladly  go  with  you  and 
help  you  search  for  the  place." 

This  promise  delighted  all  the  wanderers  and  after  the 
Shaggy  Man  had  found  the  path  again  they  began  moving 
along  it  in  a  more  happy  mood.  The  Rainbow's  Daughter 
danced  lightly  over  the  rocky  trail,  no  longer  sad,  but  with 
her  beautiful  features  wreathed  in  smiles.  Shaggy  came 
next,  walking  steadily  and  now  and  then  supporting  the  Rose 
Princess,  who  followed  him.  Betsy  and  Hank  brought  up 
the  rear,  and  if  she  tired  with  walking  the  girl  got  upon 
Hank's  back  and  let  the  stout  little  donkey  carry  her  for 
awhile. 

At  nightfall  they  came  to  some  trees  that  grew  beside  a 
tiny  brook  and  here  they  made  camp  and  rested  until  morn 
ing.  Then  away  they  tramped,  finding  berries  and  fruits 
here  and  there  which  satisfied  the  hunger  of  Betsy,  Shaggy 
and  Hank,  so  that  they  were  well  content  with  their  lot. 

It  surprised  Betsy  to  see  the  Rose  Princess  partake  of  their 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


food,  for  she  considered  her  a  fairy;  but  when  she  mentioned 
this  to  Polychrome,  the  Rainbow's  Daughter  explained  that 
when  Ozga  was  driven  out  of  her  Rose  Kingdom  she  ceased 
to  be  a  fairy  and  would  never  again  be  more  than  a  mere 
mortal.  Polychrome,  however,  was  a  fairy  wherever  she  hap 
pened  to  be,  and  if  she  sipped  a  few  dewdrops  by  moonlight 
for  refreshment  no  one  ever  saw  her  do  it. 

As  they  continued  their  wandering  journey,  direction 
meant  very  little  to  them,  for  they  were  hopelessly  lost  in  this 
strange  country.  Shaggy  said  it  would  be  best  to  go  toward 
the  mountains,  as  the  natural  entrance  to  Ruggedo's  under 
ground  cavern  was  likely  to  be  hidden  in  some  rocky,  deserted 
place;  but  mountains  seemed  all  around  them  except  in  the 
one  direction  that  they  had  come  from,  which  led  to  the  Rose 
Kingdom  and  the  sea.  Therefore  it  mattered  little  which 
way  they  traveled. 

By  and  by  they  espied  a  faint  trail  that  looked  like  a  path 
and  after  following  this  for  some  time  they  reached  a  cross 
roads.  Here  were  many  paths,  leading  in  various  directions, 
and  there  was  a  signpost  so  old  that  there  were  now  no  words 
upon  the  sign.  At  one  side  was  an  old  well,  with  a  chain 
windlass  for  drawing  water,  yet  there  was  no  house  or  other 
building  anywhere  in  sight. 

While  the  party  halted,  puzzled  which  way  to  proceed,  the 
mule  approached  the  well  and  tried  to  look  into  it. 

70 


Chapter  Seven 


"He's  thirsty/5  said  Betsy. 

"It's  a  dry  well/'  remarked  Shaggy.  "Probably  there  has 
been  no  water  in  it  for  many  years.  But,  come;  let  us  decide 
which  way  to  travel." 

No  one  seemed  able  to  decide  that.  They  sat  down  in  a 
group  and  tried  to  consider  which  road  might  be  the  best  to 
take.  Hank,  however,  could  not  keep  away  from  the  well  and 
finally  he  reared  up  on  his  hind  legs,  got  his  head  over  the  edge 
and  uttered  a  loud  "Hee-haw!"  Betsy  watched  her  animal 
friend  curiously. 

"I  wonder  if  he  sees  anything  down  there?"  she  said. 

At  this,  Shaggy  rose  and  went  over  to  the  well  to  investi 
gate,  and  Betsy  went  with  him.  The  Princess  and  Poly 
chrome,  who  had  become  fast  friends,  linked  arms  and  saun 
tered  down  one  of  the  roads,  to  find  an  easy  path. 

"Really,"  said  Shaggy,  "there  does  seem  to  be  something 
at  the  bottom  of  this  old  well." 

"Can't  we  pull  it  up,  and  see  what  it  is?"  asked  the  girl. 

There  was  no  bucket  at  the  end  of  the  windlass  chain, 
but  there  was  a  big  hook  that  at  one  time  was  used  to  hold  a 
bucket.  Shaggy  let  down  this  hook,  dragged  it  around  on 
the  bottom  and  then  pulled  it  up.  An  old  hoopskirt  came 
with  it,  and  Betsy  laughed  and  threw  it  away.  The  thing 
frightened  Hank,  who  had  never  seen  a  hoopskirt  before,  and 
he  kept  a  good  distance  away  from  it. 

71 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


Several  other  objects  the  Shaggy  Man  captured  with  the 
hook  and  drew  up,  but  none  of  these  was  important. 

"This  well  seems  to  have  been  the  dump  for  all  the  old 
rubbish  in  the  country,"  he  said,  letting  down  the  hook  once 
more.  "I  guess  I've  captured  everything  now.  No — the 
hook  has  caught  again.  Help  me,  Betsy!  Whatever  this 
thing  is,  it's  heavy." 

She  ran  up  and  helped  him  turn  the  windlass  and  after 
much  effort  a  confused  mass  of  copper  came  in  sight. 

"Good  gracious !"  exclaimed  Shaggy.  "Here  is  a  surprise, 
indeed!" 

"What  is  it?"  inquired  Betsy,  clinging  to  the  windlass 
and  panting  for  breath. 

For  answer  the  Shaggy  Man  grasped  the  bundle  of  copper 
and  dumped  it  upon  the  ground,  free  of  the  well.  Then  he 
turned  it  over  with  his  foot,  spread  it  out,  and  to  Betsy's 
astonishment  the  thing  proved  to  be  a  copper  man. 

"Just  as  I  thought,"  said  Shaggy,  looking  hard  at  the 
object.  "But  unless  there  are  two  copper  men  in  the  world 
this  is  the  most  astonishing  thing  I  ever  came  across." 

At  this  moment  the  Rainbow's  Daughter  and  the  Rose 
Princess  approached  them,  and  Polychrome  said: 

"What  have  you  found,  Shaggy  One?" 

"Either  an  old  friend,  or  a  stranger,"  he  replied. 

"Oh,  here's  a  sign  on  his  back!"  cried  Betsy,  who  had 

72 


Chapter  Seven 


knelt  down  to  examine  the  man.     "Dear  me;  how  funny! 
Listen  to  this." 

Then  she  read  the  following  words,  engraved  upon  the 
copper  plates  of  the  man's  body: 

SMITH  &  TINKER'S 

Patent  Double-Action,  Extra-Responsive, 

Thought-Creating,  Perfect-Talking 
MECHANICAL  MAN 

Fitted  with  our  Special  Clockwork  Attachment. 
Thinks,  Speaks,  Acts,  and  Does  Everything  but  Live. 

"Isn't  he  wonderful!"  exclaimed  the  Princess. 
"Yes;  but  here's  more,"  said  Betsy,  reading  from  another 
engraved  plate  : 

DIRECTIONS  FOR  USING: 

For  THINKING:— Wind  the  Clockwork  Man  under 

his  left  arm,  (marked  No.  i). 
For  SPEAKING:— Wind  the  Clockwork  Man  under 

his  right  arm,  (marked  No.  2) . 
For  WALKING  and  ACTION:— Wind  Clockwork  Man 

in  the  middle  of  his  back,  (marked  No.  3) . 
N.  B. — This  Mechanism  is  guaranteed  to  work  per 
fectly  for  a  thousand  years. 

73 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"If  he's  guaranteed  for  a  thousand  years/'  said  Poly 
chrome,  "he  ought  to  work  yet." 

"Of  course/'  replied  Shaggy.    "Let's  wind  him  up." 

In  order  to  do  this  they  were  obliged  to  set  the  copper  man 
upon  his  feet,  in  an  upright  position,  and  this  was  no  easy 
task.  He  was  inclined  to  topple  over,  and  had  to  be  propped 
again  and  again.  The  girls  assisted  Shaggy,  and  at  last  Tik- 
Tok  seemed  to  be  balanced  and  stood  alone  upon  his  broad 
feet. 

"Yes,"  said  Shaggy,  looking  at  the  copper  man  carefully, 
"this  must  be,  indeed,  my  old  friend  Tik-Tok,  whom  I  left 
ticking  merrily  in  the  Land  of  Oz.  But  how  he  came  to  this 
lonely  place,  and  got  into  that  old  well,  is  surely  a  mystery." 

"If  we  wind  him,  perhaps  he  will  tell  us,"  suggested 
Betsy.  "Here's  the  key,  hanging  to  a  hook  on  his  back. 
What  part  of  him  shall  I  wind  up  first?" 

"His  thoughts,  of  course,"  said  Polychrome,  "for  it  re 
quires  thought  to  speak  or  move  intelligently." 

So  Betsy  wound  him  under  his  left  arm,  and  at  once  little 
flashes  of  light  began  to  show  in  the  top  of  his  head,  which 
was  proof  that  he  had  begun  to  think. 

"Now,  then,"  said  Shaggy,  "wind  up  his  phonograph." 

"What's  that?"  she  asked. 

"Why,  his  talking-machine.  His  thoughts  may  be  inter 
esting,  but  they  don't  tell  us  anything." 

74 


Chapter  Seven 


So  Betsy  wound  the  copper  man  under  his  right  arm,  and 
then  from  the  interior  of  his  copper  body  came  in  jerky  tones 
the  words:  "Ma-ny  thanks!" 

"Hurrah!"  cried  Shaggy,  joyfully,  and  he  slapped  Tik- 
Tok  upon  the  back  in  such  a  hearty  manner  that  the  copper 
man  lost  his  balance  and  tumbled  to  the  ground  in  a  heap. 
But  the  clockwork  that  enabled  him  to  speak  had  been  wound 
up  and  he  kept  saying:  "Pick-me-up!  Pick-me-up!  Pick- 
me-up!"  until  they  had  again  raised  him  and  balanced  him 
upon  his  feet,  when  he  added  politely:  "Ma-ny  thanks!" 

"He  won't  be  self-supporting  until  we  wind  up  his 
action,"  remarked  Shaggy;  so  Betsy  wound  it,  as  tight  as  she 
could — for  the  key  turned  rather  hard — and  then  Tik-Tok 
lifted  his  feet,  marched  around  in  a  circle  and  ended  by  stop 
ping  before  the  group  and  making  them  all  a  low  bow.  • 

"How  in  the  world  did  you  happen  to  be  in  that  well, 
when  I  left  you  safe  in  Oz?"  inquired  Shaggy. 

"It  is  a  long  sto-ry,"  replied  Tik-Tok,  "but  I'll  tell  it  in 
a  few  words.  Af-ter  you  had  gone  in  search  of  your  broth-er, 
Oz-ma  saw  you  wan-der-ing  in  strange  lands  when-ev-er  she 
looked  in  her  mag-ic  pic-ture,  and  she  also  saw  your  broth-er 
in  the  Nome  King's  cav-ern;  so  she  sent  me  to  tell  you  where 
to  find  your  broth-er  and  told  me  to  help  you  if  I  could.  The 
Sor-cer-ess,  Glin-da  the  Good,  trans-port-ed  me  to  this  place 
in  the  wink  of  an  eye;  but  here  I  met  the  Nome  King  him- 

75 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


self — old  Rug-ge-do,  who  is  called  in  these  parts  the  Met-al 
Mon-arch.  Rug-ge-do  knew  what  I  had  come  for,  and  he  was 
so  an-gry  that  he  threw  me  down  the  well.  Af-ter  my  works 
ran  down  I  was  help-less  un-til  you  came  a-long  and  pulled 
me  out  a-gain.  Ma-ny  thanks/' 

"This  is,  indeed,  good  news,"  said  Shaggy.  "I  suspected 
that  my  brother  was  the  prisoner  of  Ruggedo;  but  now  I  know 
it.  Tell  us,  Tik-Tok,  how  shall  we  get  to  the  Nome  King's 
underground  cavern*?" 

"The  best  way  is  to  walk,"  said  Tik-Tok.  "We  might 
crawl,  or  jump,  or  roll  o-ver  and  o-ver  un-til  we  get  there;  but 
the  best  way  is  to  walk." 

"I  know;  but  which  road  shall  we  take?" 

"My  ma-chin-er-y  is-n't  made  to  tell  that,"  replied 
Tik-Tok. 

"There  is  more  than  one  entrance  to  the  underground 
cavern,"  said  Polychrome ;  "but  old  Ruggedo  has  cleverly  con 
cealed  every  opening,  so  that  earth  dwellers  can  not  intrude 
in  his  domain.  If  we  find  our  way  underground  at  all,  it  will 
be  by  chance." 

"Then,"  said  Betsy,  "let  us  select  any  road,  haphazard, 
and  see  where  it  leads  us." 

"That  seems  sensible,"  declared  the  Princess.  "It  may 
require  a  lot  of  time  for  us  to  find  Ruggedo,  but  we  have  more 
time  than  anything  else." 

76 


Chapter  Seven 


"If  you  keep  me  wound  up/'  said  Tik-Tok,  "I  will  last 
a  thou-sand  years." 

"Then  the  only  question  to  decide  is  which  way  to  go/' 
added  Shaggy,  looking  first  at  one  road  and  then  at  another. 

But  while  they  stood  hesitating,  a  peculiar  sound  reached 
their  ears — a  sound  like  the  tramping  of  many  feet. 

"What's  coming?"  cried  Betsy;  and  then  she  ran  to  the 
left-hand  road  and  glanced  along  the  path.  "Why,  it's  an 
army!"  she  exclaimed.  "What  shall  we  do,  hide  or  run?" 

"Stand  still,"  commanded  Shaggy.  "I'm  not  afraid  of  an 
army.  If  they  prove  to  be  friendly,  they  can  help  us ;  if  they 
are  enemies,  I'll  show  them  the  Love  Magnet." 


77 


CHAPTER  8 

Tik-Tok  Tackles  a  Tough  Task 

WHILE  Shaggy  and  his  companions  stood  huddled  in  a 
group  at  one  side,  the  Army  of  Oogaboo  was  approaching 
along  the  pathway,  the  tramp  of  their  feet  being  now  and 
then  accompanied  by  a  dismal  groan  as  one  of  the  officers 
stepped  on  a  sharp  stone  or  knocked  his  funnybone  against 
his  neighbor's  sword-handle. 

Then  out  from  among  the  trees  marched  Private  Files, 
bearing  the  banner  of  Oogaboo,  which  fluttered  from  a  long 
pole.  This  pole  he  stuck  in  the  ground  just  in  front  of  the 
well  and  then  he  cried  in  a  loud  voice : 

"I  hereby  conquer  this  territory  in  the  name  of  Queen  Ann 
Soforth  of  Oogaboo,  and  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  land  I 
proclaim  her  slaves!" 

78 


Chapter  Eight 


Some  of  the  officers  now  stuck  their  heads  out  of  the  bushes 
and  asked: 

"Is  the  coast  clear,  Private  Files?" 

"There  is  no  coast  here/'  was  the  reply,  "but  all's  well." 

"I  hope  there's  water  in  it,"  said  General  Cone,  mustering 
courage  to  advance  to  the  well;  but  just  then  he  caught  a 
glimpse  of  Tik-Tok  and  Shaggy  and  at  once  fell  upon  his 
knees,  trembling  and  frightened,  and  cried  out  : 

"Mercy,  kind  enemies!  Mercy!  Spare  us,  and  we  will 
be  your  slaves  forever!" 

The  other  officers,  who  had  now  advanced  into  the  clear 
ing,  likewise  fell  upon  their  knees  and  begged  for  mercy. 

Files  turned  around  and,  seeing  the  strangers  for  the  first 
time,  examined  them  with  much  curiosity.  Then,  discover 
ing  that  three  of  the  party  were  girls,  he  lifted  his  cap  and 
made  a  polite  bow. 

"What's  all  this?"  demanded  a  harsh  voice,  as  Queen 
Ann  reached  the  place  and  beheld  her  kneeling  army. 

"Permit  us  to  introduce  ourselves,"  replied  Shaggy,  step 
ping  forward.  "This  is  Tik-Tok,  the  Clockwork  Man — who 
works  better  than  some  meat  people.  And  here  is  Princess 
Ozga  of  Roseland,  just  now  unfortunately  exiled  from  her 
Kingdom  of  Roses.  I  next  present  Polychrome,  a  sky  fairy, 
who  lost  her  Bow  by  an  accident  and  can't  find  her  way  home. 
The  small  girl  here  is  Betsy  Bobbin,  from  some  unknown 

79 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


earthly  paradise  called  Oklahoma,  and  with  her  you  see  Mr. 
Hank,  a  mule  with  a  long  tail  and  a  short  temper." 

"Puh!"  said  Ann,  scornfully;  "a  pretty  lot  of  vagabonds 
you  are,  indeed ;  all  lost  or  strayed,  I  suppose,  and  not  worth 
a  Queen's  plundering.  I'm  sorry  I've  conquered  you." 

"But  you  haven't  conquered  us  yet,"  called  Betsy  indig 
nantly. 

"No,"  agreed  Files,  "that  is  a  fact.  But  if  my  officers  will 
kindly  command  me  to  conquer  you,  I  will  do  so  at  once,  after 
which  we  can  stop  arguing  and  converse  more  at  our  ease." 

The  officers  had  by  this  time  risen  from  their  knees  and 
brushed  the  dust  from  their  trousers.  To  them  the  enemy  did 
not  look  very  fierce,  so  the  Generals  and  Colonels  and  Majors 
and  Captains  gained  courage  to  face  them  and  began  strut 
ting  in  their  most  haughty  manner. 

"You  must  understand,"  said  Ann,  "that  I  am  the  Queen 
of  Oogaboo,  and  this  is  my  invincible  Army.  We  are  busy 
conquering  the  world,  and  since  you  seem  to  be  a  part  of  the 
world,  and  are  obstructing  our  journey,  it  is  necessary  for  us 
to  conquer  you — unworthy  though  you  may  be  of  such  high 
honoY." 

"That's  all  right,"  replied  Shaggy.  "Conquer  us  as  often 
as  you  like.  We  don't  mind." 

"But  we  won't  be  anybody's  slaves,"  added  Betsy, 
positively. 

80 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"We'll  see  about  that,"  retorted  the  Queen,  angrily. 
"Advance,  Private  Files,  and  bind  the  enemy  hand  and 
foot!" 

But  Private  Files  looked  at  pretty  Betsy  and  fascinating 
Polychrome  and  the  beautiful  Rose  Princess  and  shook  his 
head. 

"It  would  be  impolite,  and  I  won't  do  it,"  he  asserted. 

"You  must !"  cried  Ann.    "It  is  your  duty  to  obey  orders." 

"I  haven't  received  any  orders  from  my  officers,"  objected 
the  Private. 

But  the  Generals  now  shouted :  "Forward,  and  bind  the 
prisoners!"  and  the  Colonels  and  Majors  and  Captains 
repeated  the  command,  yelling  it  as  loud  as  they  could. 

All  this  noise  annoyed  Hank,  who  had  been  eyeing  the 
Army  of  Oogaboo  with  strong  disfavor.  The  mule  now 
dashed  forward  and  began  backing  upon  the  officers  and 
kicking  fierce  and  dangerous  heels  at  them.  The  attack  was 
so  sudden  that  the  officers  scattered  like  dust  in  a  whirlwind, 
dropping  their  swords  as  they  ran  and  trying  to  seek  refuge 
behind  the  trees  and  bushes. 

Betsy  laughed  joyously  at  the  comical  rout  of  the  "noble 
army,"  and  Polychrome  danced  with  glee.  But  Ann  was 
furious  at  this  ignoble  defeat  of  her  gallant  forces  by  one 
small  mule. 

"Private  Files,  I  command  you  to  do  your  duty!"  she 

82 


Chapter  Eight 


cried  again,  and  then  she  herself  ducked  to  escape  the  mule's 
heels — for  Hank  made  no  distinction  in  favor  of  a  lady  who 
was  an  open  enemy.  Betsy  grabbed  her  champion  by  the 
forelock,  however,  and  so  held  him  fast,  and  when  the  officers 
saw  that  the  mule  was  restrained  from  further  attacks  they 
crept  fearfully  back  and  picked  up  their  discarded  swords. 

"Private  Files,  seize  and  bind  these  prisoners!"  screamed 
the  Queen. 

"No,"  said  Files,  throwing  down  his  gun  and  removing 
the  knapsack  which  was  strapped  to  his  back,  "I  resign  my 
position  as  the  Army  of  Oogaboo.  I  enlisted  to  fight  the 
enemy  and  become  a  hero,  but  if  you  want  some  one  to  bind 
harmless  girls  you  will  have  to  hire  another  Private." 

Then  he  walked  over  to  the  others  and  shook  hands  with 
Shaggy  and  Tik-Tok. 

"Treason!"  shrieked  Ann,  and  all  the  officers  echoed 
her  cry. 

"Nonsense,"  said  Files.    "I've  the  right  to  resign  if  I 


want  to." 


"Indeed  you  haven't!"  retorted  the  Queen.  "If  you 
resign  it  will  break  up  my  Army,  and  then  I  cannot  conquer 
the  world."  She  now  turned  to  the  officers  and  said :  "I  must 
ask  you  to  do  me  a  favor.  I  know  it  is  undignified  in  officers 
to  fight,  but  unless  you  immediately  capture  Private  Files 
and  force  him  to  obey  my  orders  there  will  be  no  plunder  for 

83 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


any  of  us.  Also  it  is  likely  you  will  all  suffer  the  pangs  of 
hunger,  and  when  we  meet  a  powerful  foe  you  are  liable  to  be 
captured  and  made  slaves." 

The  prospect  of  this  awful  fate  so  frightened  the  officers 
that  they  drew  their  swords  and  rushed  upon  Files,  who  stood 
beside  Shaggy,  in  a  truly  ferocious  manner.  The  next 
instant,  however,  they  halted  and  again  fell  upon  their  knees; 
for  there,  before  them,  was  the  glistening  Love  Magnet,  held 
in  the  hand  of  the  smiling  Shaggy  Man,  and  the  sight  of  this 
magic  talisman  at  once  won  the  heart  of  every  Oogabooite. 
Even  Ann  saw  the  Love  Magnet,  and  forgetting  all  enmity 
and  anger  threw  herself  upon  Shaggy  and  embraced  him 
lovingly. 

Quite  disconcerted  by  this  unexpected  effect  of  the  Mag 
net,  Shaggy  disengaged  himself  from  the  Queen's  encircling 
arms  and  quickly  hid  the  talisman  in  his  pocket.  The  adven 
turers  from  Oogaboo  were  now  his  firm  friends,  and  there  was 
no  more  talk  about  conquering  and  binding  any  of  his  party. 

"If  you  insist  on  conquering  anyone,"  said  Shaggy,  "you 
may  march  with  me  to  the  underground  Kingdom  of  Ruggedo. 
To  conquer  the  world,  as  you  have  set  out  to  do,  you  must 
conquer  everyone  under  its  surface  as  well  as  those  upon  its 
surface,  and  no  one  in  all  the  world  needs  conquering  so  much 
as  Ruggedo." 

"Who  is  he?"  asked  Ann. 

84 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


'The  Metal  Monarch,  King  of  the  Nomes." 

"Is  he  rich?"  inquired  Major  Stockings  in  an  anxious 
voice. 

"Of  course,"  answered  Shaggy.  "He  owns  all  the  metal 
that  lies  underground — gold,  silver,  copper,  brass  and  tin. 
He  has  an  idea  he  also  owns  all  the  metals  above  ground,  for 
he  says  all  metal  was  once  a  part  of  his  kingdom.  So,  by  con 
quering  the  Metal  Monarch,  you  will  win  all  the  riches  in 
the  world." 

"Ah!"  exclaimed  General  Apple,  heaving  a  deep  sigh, 
"that  would  be  plunder  worth  our  while.  Let's  conquer  him, 
Your  Majesty." 

The  Queen  looked  reproachfully  at  Files,  who  was  sitting 
next  to  the  lovely  Princess  and  whispering  in  her  ear. 

"Alas,"  said  Ann,  "I  have  no  longer  an  Army.  I  have 
plenty  of  brave  officers,  indeed,  but  no  private  soldier  for 
them  to  command.  Therefore  I  cannot  conquer  Ruggedo  and 
win  all  his  wealth." 

"Why  don't  you  make  one  of  your  officers  the  Private?" 
asked  Shaggy;  but  at  once  every  officer  began  to  protest  and 
the  Queen  of  Oogaboo  shook  her  head  as  she  replied  : 

"That  is  impossible.  A  private  soldier  must  be  a  terrible 
fighter,  and  my  officers  are  unable  to  fight.  They  are  excep 
tionally  brave  in  commanding  others  to  fight,  but  could  not 
themselves  meet  the  enemy  and  conquer." 

86 


Chapter  Eight 


"Very  true,  Your  Majesty,"  said  Colonel  Plum,  eagerly. 
"There  are  many  kinds  of  bravery  and  one  cannot  be  expected 
to  possess  them  all.  I  myself  am  brave  as  a  lion  in  all  ways 
until  it  comes  to  fighting,  but  then  my  nature  revolts.  Fight 
ing  is  unkind  and  liable  to  be  injurious  to  others;  so,  being  a 
gentleman,  I  never  fight." 

"Nor  I!"  shouted  each  of  the  other  officers. 

"You  see,"  said  Ann,  "how  helpless  I  am.  Had  not 
Private  Files  proved  himself  a  traitor  and  a  deserter,  I  would 
gladly  have  conquered  this  Ruggedo;  but  an  Army  without 
a  private  soldier  is  like  a  bee  without  a  stinger." 

"I  am,  not  a  traitor,  Your  Majesty,"  protested  Files.  "I 
resigned  in  a  proper  manner,  not  liking  the  job.  But  there 
are  plenty  of  people  to  take  my  place.  Why  not  make  Shaggy 
Man  the  private  soldier?" 

"He  might  be  killed,"  said  Ann,  looking  tenderly  at 
Shaggy,  "for  he  is  mortal,  and  able  to  die.  If  anything  hap 
pened  to  him,  it  would  break  my  heart." 

"It  would  hurt  me  worse  than  that,"  declared  Shaggy. 
"You  must  admit,  Your  Majesty,  that  I  am  commander  of  this 
expedition,  for  it  is  my  brother  we  are  seeking,  rather  than 
plunder.  But  I  and  my  companions  would  like  the  assistance 
of  your  Army,  and  if  you  help  us  to  conquer  Ruggedo  and  to 
rescue  my  brother  from  captivity  we  will  allow  you  to  keep 
all  the  gold  and  jewels  and  other  plunder  you  may  find." 

8? 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


This  prospect  was  so  tempting  that  the  officers  began 
whispering  together  and  presently  Colonel  Cheese  said: 
"Your  Majesty,  by  combining  our  brains  we  have  just 
evolved  a  most  brilliant  idea.  We  will  make  the  Clockwork 
Man  the  private  soldier!" 

"Who?  Me?"  asked  Tik-Tok.  "Not  for  a  sin-gle  sec-ond! 
I  can-not  fight,  and  you  must  not  f  or-get  that  it  was  Rug-ge-do 
who  threw  me  in  the  well." 

"At  that  time  you  had  no  gun,"  said  Polychrome.  "But  if 
you  join  the  Army  of  Oogaboo  you  will  carry  the  gun  that 
Mr.  Files  used." 

"A  sol-dier  must  be  a-ble  to  run  as  well  as  to  fight,"  pro 
tested  Tik-Tok,  "and  if  my  works  run  down,  as  they  of-ten 
do,  I  could  nei-ther  run  nor  fight." 

"I'll  keep  you  wound  up,  Tik-Tok,"  promised  Betsy. 

"Why,  it  isn't  a  bad  idea,"  said  Shaggy.  "Tik-Tok  will 
make  an  ideal  soldier,  for  nothing  can  injure  him  except  a 
sledge  hammer.  And,  since  a  private  soldier  seems  to  be 
necessary  to  this  Army,  Tik-Tok  is  the  only  one  of  our  party 
fitted  to  undertake  the  job/' 

"What  must  I  do?'  asked  Tik-Tok. 

"Obey  orders,"  replied  Ann.  "When  the  officers  com 
mand  you  to  do  anything,  you  must  do  it;  that  is  all." 

"And  that's  enough,  too,"  said  Files. 

"Do  I  get  a  salary?"  inquired  Tik-Tok. 

88 


Chapter  Eight 


"You  get  your  share  of  the  plunder,"  answered  the  Queen. 

"Yes,"  remarked  Files,  "one-half  of  the  plunder  goes  to 
Queen  Ann,  the  other  half  is  divided  among  the  officers,  and 
the  Private  gets  the  rest." 

"That  will  be  sat-is-faotor-y,"  said  Tik-Tok,  picking  up 
the  gun  and  examining  it  wonderingly,  for  he  had  never 
before  seen  such  a  weapon. 

Then  Ann  strapped  the  knapsack  to  Tik-Tok' s  copper 
back  and  said:  "Now  we  are  ready  to  march  to  Ruggedo's 
Kingdom  and  conquer  it.  Officers,  give  the  command  to 
march." 

"Fall — in!"  yelled  the  Generals,  drawing  their  swords. 

"Fall — in!"  cried  the  Colonels,  drawing  their  swords. 

"Fall — in!"  shouted  the  Majors,  drawing  their  swords. 

"Fall — in!"  bawled  the  Captains,  drawing  their  swords. 

Tik-Tok  looked  at  them  and  then  around  him  in  surprise. 

"Fall  in  what?    The  well?"  he  asked. 

"No,"  said  Queen  Ann,  "you  must  fall  in  marching  order." 

"Can-not  I  march  with-out  fall-ing  in-to  it?"  asked  the 
Clockwork  Man. 

"Shoulder  your  gun  and  stand  ready  to  march,"  advised 
Files ;  so  Tik-Tok  held  the  gun  straight  and  stood  still. 

"What  next?"  he  asked. 

The  Queen  turned  to  Shaggy. 

"Which  road  leads  to  the  Metal  Monarch's  cavern?" 


Tik~Tok  of  Oz 


"We  don't  know,  Your  Majesty,"  was  the  reply. 

"But  this  is  absurd !"  said  Ann  with  a  frown.  "If  we  can't 
get  to  Ruggedo,  it  is  certain  that  we  can't  conquer  him." 

"You  are  right,"  admitted  Shaggy;  "but  I  did  not  say  we 
could  not  get  to  him.  We  have  only  to  discover  the  way,  and 
that  was  the  matter  we  were  considering  when  you  and  your 
magnificent  Army  arrived  here." 

"Well,  then,  get  busy  and  discover  it,"  snapped  the 
Queen. 

That  was  no  easy  task.  They  all  stood  looking  from  one 
road  to  another  in  perplexity.  The  paths  radiated  from  the 
little  clearing  like  the  rays  of  the  midday  sun,  and  each  path 
seemed  like  all  the  others. 

Files  and  the  Rose  Princess,  who  had  by  this  time  become 
good  friends,  advanced  a  little  way  along  one  of  the  roads 
and  found  that  it  was  bordered  by  pretty  wild  flowers. 

"Why  don't  you  ask  the  flowers  to  tell  you  the  way?"  he 
said  to  his  companion. 

"The  flowers?"  returned  the  Princess,  surprised  at  the 
question. 

"Of  course,"  said  Files.  "The  field-flowers  must  be 
second-cousins  to  a  Rose  Princess,  and  I  believe  if  you  ask 
them  they  will  tell  you." 

She  looked  more  closely  at  the  flowers.  There  were 
hundreds  of  white  daisies,  golden  buttercups,  bluebells  and 

90 


Chapter  Eight 


daffodils  growing  by  the  roadside,  and  each  flower-head  was 
firmly  set  upon  its  slender  but  stout  stem.  There  were  even 
a  few  wild  roses  scattered  here  and  there  and  perhaps  it  was 
the  sight  of  these  that  gave  the  Princess  courage  to  ask  the 
important  question. 

She  dropped  to  her  knees,  facing  the  flowers,  and  extended 
both  her  arms  pleadingly  toward  them. 

"Tell  me,  pretty  cousins,"  she  said  in  her  sweet,  gentle 
voice,  "which  way  will  lead  us  to  the  Kingdom  of  Ruggedo, 
the  Nome  King?' 

At  once  all  the  stems  bent  gracefully  to  the  right  and  the 
flower  heads  nodded  once — twice — thrice  in  that  direction. 

"That's  it!"  cried  Files  joyfully.  "Now  we  know  the 
way." 

Ozga  rose  to  her  feet  and  looked  wonderingly  at  the  field- 
flowers,  which  had  now  resumed  their  upright  position. 

"Was  it  the  wind,  do  you  think?"  she  asked  in  a 
low  whisper. 

"No,  indeed,"  replied  Files.  "There  is  not  a  breath  of 
wind  stirring.  But  these  lovely  blossoms  are  indeed  your 
cousins  and  answered  your  question  at  once,  as  I  knew  they 
would." 


CHAPTER  9 

Ruggedo's  Rage  is  Rash  and  Reckless 

THE  way  taken  by  the  adventurers  led  up  hill  and  down 
dale  and  wound  here  and  there  in  a  fashion  that  seemed  aim 
less.  But  always  it  drew  nearer  to  a  range  of  low  mountains 
and  Files  said  more  than  once  that  he  was  certain  the 
entrance  to  Ruggedo's  cavern  would  be  found  among  these 
rugged  hills. 

In  this  he  was  quite  correct.  Far  underneath  the  nearest 
mountain  was  a  gorgeous  chamber  hollowed  from  the  solid 
rock,  the  walls  and  roof  of  which  glittered  with  thousands  of 
magnificent  jewels.  Here,  on  a  throne  of  virgin  gold,  sat  the 
famous  Nome  King,  dressed  in  splendid  robes  and  wearing 
a  superb  crown  cut  from  a  single  blood-red  ruby. 

92 


Chapter  Nine 


Ruggedo,  the  Monarch  of  all  the  Metals  and  Precious 
Stones  of  the  Underground  World,  was  a  round  little  man 
with  a  flowing  white  beard,  a  red  face,  bright  eyes  and  a  scowl 
that  covered  all  his  forehead.  One  would  think,  to  look  at 
him,  that  he  ought  to  be  jolly;  one  might  think,  considering 
his  enormous  wealth,  that  he  ought  to  be  happy;  but  this  was 
not  the  case.  The  Metal  Monarch  was  surly  and  cross  because 
mortals  had  dug  so  much  treasure  out  of  the  earth  and  kept  it 
above  ground,  where  all  the  power  of  Ruggedo  and  his  nomes 
was  unable  to  recover  it.  He  hated  not  only  the  mortals  but 
also  the  fairies  who  live  upon  the  earth  or  above  it,  and 
instead  of  being  content  with  the  riches  he  still  possessed  he 
was  unhappy  because  he  did  not  own  all  the  gold  and  jewels 
in  the  world. 

Ruggedo  had  been  nodding,  half  asleep,  in  his  chair  when 
suddenly  he  sat  upright,  uttered  a  roar  of  rage  and  began 
pounding  upon  a  huge  gong  that  stood  beside  him. 

The  sound  filled  the  vast  cavern  and  penetrated  to  many 
caverns  beyond,  where  countless  thousands  of  nomes  were 
working  at  their  unending  tasks,  hammering  out  gold  and 
silver  and  other  metals,  or  melting  ores  in  great  furnaces,  or 
polishing  glittering  gems.  The  nomes  trembled  at  the  sound 
of  the  King's  gong  and  whispered  fearfully  to  one  another 
that  something  unpleasant  was  sure  to  happen;  but  none 
dared  pause  in  his  task. 

93 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


The  heavy  curtains  of  cloth-of-gold  were  pushed  aside 
and  Kaliko,  the  King's  High  Chamberlain,  entered  the  royal 
presence. 

"What's  up,  Your  Majesty?"  he  asked,  with  a  wide  yawn, 
for  he  had  just  wakened. 

"Up?"  roared  Ruggedo,  stamping  his  foot  viciously. 
"Those  foolish  mortals  are  up,  that's  what !  And  they  want  to 
come  down." 

"Down  here?"  inquired  Kaliko. 

"Yes!" 

"How  do  you  know?"  continued  the  Chamberlain,  yawn 
ing  again. 

"I  feel  it  in  my  bones,"  said  Ruggedo.  "I  can  always  feel 
it  when  those  hateful  earth-crawlers  draw  near  to  my  King 
dom.  I  am  positive,  Kaliko,  that  mortals  are  this  very  minute 
on  their  way  here  to  annoy  me — and  I  hate  mortals  more  than 
I  do  catnip  tea!" 

"Well,  what's  to  be  done?"  demanded  the  nome. 

"Look  through  your  spyglass,  and  see  where  the  invaders 
are,"  commanded  the  King. 

So  Kaliko  went  to  a  tube  in  the  wall  of  rock  and  put  his 
eye  to  it.  The  tube  ran  from  the  cavern  up  to  the  side  of  the 
mountain  and  turned  several  curves  and  corners,  but  as  it  was 
a  magic  spyglass  Kaliko  was  able  to  see  through  it  just  as 
easily  as  if  it  had  been  straight. 

94 


Chapter  Nine 


"Ho — hum,"  said  he.    "I  see  'em,  Your  Majesty." 

"What  do  they  look  like?"  inquired  the  Monarch. 

"That's  a  hard  question  to  answer,  for  a  queerer  assort 
ment  of  creatures  I  never  yet  beheld,"  replied  the  nome. 
"However,  such  a  collection  of  curiosities  may  prove  danger 
ous.  There's  a  copper  man,  worked  by  machinery — " 

"Bah!  that's  only  Tik-Tok,"  said  Ruggedo.  "I'm  not 
afraid  of  him.  Why,  only  the  other  day  I  met  the  fellow  and 
threw  him  down  a  well." 

"Then  some  one  must  have  pulled  him  out  again,"  said 
Kaliko.  "And  there's  a  little  girl—" 

"Dorothy?"  asked  Ruggedo,  jumping  up  in  fear. 

"No;  some  other  girl.  In  fact,  there  are  several  girls,  of 
various  sizes;  but  Dorothy  is  not  with  them,  nor  is  Ozma." 

"That's  good!"  exclaimed  the  King,  sighing  in  relief. 

Kaliko  still  had  his  eye  to  the  spyglass. 

"I  see,"  said  he,  "an  army  of  men  from  Oogaboo.  They 
are  all  officers  and  carry  swords.  And  there  is  a  Shaggy  Man 
— who  seems  very  harmless — and  a  little  donkey  with  big 


ears.'3 


"Pooh!"  cried  Ruggedo,  snapping  his  fingers  in  scorn. 
"I've  no  fear  of  such  a  mob  as  that.  A  dozen  of  my  nomes 
can  destroy  them  all  in  a  jiffy." 

"I'm  not  so  sure  of  that,"  said  Kaliko.  "The  people  of 
Oogaboo  are  hard  to  destroy,  and  I  believe  the  Rose  Princess 

95 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


is  a  fairy.  As  for  Polychrome,  you  know  very  well  that  the 
Rainbow's  Daughter  cannot  be  injured  by  a  nome." 

"Polychrome!    Is  she  among  them?"  asked  the  King. 

"Yes;  I  have  just  recognized  her." 

"Then  these  people  are  coming  here  on  no  peaceful 
errand,"  declared  Ruggedo,  scowling  fiercely.  "In  fact,  no 
one  ever  comes  here  on  a  peaceful  errand.  I  hate  everybody, 
and  everybody  hates  me!" 

"Very  true,"  said  Kaliko. 

"I  must  in  some  way  prevent  these  people  from  reaching 
my  dominions.  Where  are  they  now?" 

"Just  now  they  are  crossing  the  Rubber  Country,  Your 
Majesty." 

"Good!  Are  your  magnetic  rubber  wires  in  working 
order?" 

"I  think  so,"  replied  Kaliko.  "Is  it  your  Royal  Will  that 
we  have  some  fun  with  these  invaders?" 

"It  is,"  answered  Ruggedo.  "I  want  to  teach  them  a 
lesson  they  will  never  forget." 

Now,  Shaggy  had  no  idea  that  he  was  in  a  Rubber  Coun 
try,  nor  had  any  of  his  companions.  They  noticed  that  every 
thing  around  them  was  of  a  dull  gray  color  and  that  the  path 
upon  which  they  walked  was  soft  and  springy,  yet  they  had 
no  suspicion  that  the  rocks  and  trees  were  rubber  and  even 
the  path  they  trod  was  made  of  rubber. 


Chapter  Nine 


Presently  they  came  to  a  brook  where  sparkling  water 
dashed  through  a  deep  channel  and  rushed  away  between 
high  rocks  far  down  the  mountain-side.  Across  the  brook 
were  stepping-stones,  so  placed  that  travelers  might  easily 
leap  from  one  to  another  and  in  that  manner  cross  the  water 
to  the  farther  bank. 

Tik-Tok  was  marching  ahead,  followed  by  his  officers  and 
Queen  Ann.  After  them  came  Betsy  Bobbin  and  Hank, 
Polychrome  and  Shaggy,  and  last  of  all  the  Rose  Princess 
with  Files.  The  Clockwork  Man  saw  the  stream  and  the 
stepping-stones  and,  without  making  a  pause,  placed  his  foot 
upon  the  first  stone. 

The  result  was  astonishing.  First  he  sank  down  in  the 
soft  rubber,  which  then  rebounded  and  sent  Tik-Tok  soaring 
high  in  the  air,  where  he  turned  a  succession  of  flip-flops  and 
alighted  upon  a  rubber  rock  far  in  the  rear  of  the  party. 

General  Apple  did  not  see  Tik-Tok  bound,  so  quickly 
had  he  disappeared ;  therefore  he  also  stepped  upon  the  stone 
(which  you  will  guess  was  connected  with  Kaliko's  magnetic 
rubber  wire)  and  instantly  shot  upward  like  an  arrow.  Gen 
eral  Cone  came  next  and  met  with  a  like  fate,  but  the  others 
now  noticed  that  something  was  wrong  and  with  one  accord 
they  halted  the  column  and  looked  back  along  the  path. 

There  was  Tik-Tok,  still  bounding  from  one  rubber  rock  to 
another,  each  time  rising  a  less  distance  from  the  ground. 

97 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


And  there  was  General  Apple,  bounding  away  in  another 
direction,  his  three-cornered  hat  jammed  over  his  eyes  and 
his  long  sword  thumping  him  upon  the  arms  and  head  as  it 
swung  this  way  and  that.  And  there,  also,  appeared  General 
Cone,  who  had  struck  a  rubber  rock  headforemost  and  was 
so  crumpled  up  that  his  round  body  looked  more  like  a 
bouncing-ball  than  the  form  of  a  man. 

Betsy  laughed  merrily  at  the  strange  sight  and  Polychrome 
echoed  her  laughter.  But  Ozga  was  grave  and  wondering, 
while  Queen  Ann  became  angry  at  seeing  the  chief  officers  of 
the  Army  of  Oogaboo  bounding  around  in  so  undignified  a 
manner.  She  shouted  to  them  to  stop,  but  they  were  unable 
to  obey,  even  though  they  would  have  been  glad  to  do  so. 
Finally,  however,  they  all  ceased  bounding  and  managed  to 
get  upon  their  feet  and  rejoin  the  Army. 

"Why  did  you  do  that?"  demanded  Ann,  who  seemed 
greatly  provoked. 

"Don't  ask  them  why,"  said  Shaggy  earnestly.  "I  knew 
you  would  ask  them  why,  but  you  ought  not  to  do  it.  The 
reason  is  plain.  Those  stones  are  rubber;  therefore  they  are 
not  stones.  Those  rocks  around  us  are  rubber,  and  therefore 
they  are  not  rocks.  Even  this  path  is  not  a  path;  it's  rubber. 
Unless  we  are  very  careful,  your  Majesty,  we  are  all  likely 
to  get  the  bounce,  just  as  your  poor  officers  and  Tik-Tok  did." 

"Then  let's  be  careful,"  remarked  Files,  who  was  full  of 

98 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


wisdom;  but  Polychrome  wanted  to  test  the  quality  of  the 
rubber,  so  she  began  dancing.  Every  step  sent  her  higher  and 
higher  into  the  air,  so  that  she  resembled  a  big  butterfly  flutter 
ing  lightly.  Presently  she  made  a  great  bound  and  bounded 
way  across  the  stream,  landing  lightly  and  steadily  on  the 
other  side. 

"There  is  no  rubber  over  here,"  she  called  to  them.  "Sup 
pose  you  all  try  to  bound  over  the  stream,  without  touching 
the  stepping-stones." 

Ann  and  her  officers  were  reluctant  to  undertake  such  a 
risky  adventure,  but  Betsy  at  once  grasped  the  value  of  the 
suggestion  and  began  jumping  up  and  down  until  she  found 
herself  bounding  almost  as  high  as  Polychrome  had  done. 
Then  she  suddenly  leaned  forward  and  the  next  bound  took 
her  easily  across  the  brook,  where  she  alighted  by  the  side  of 
the  Rainbow's  Daughter. 

"Come  on,  Hank!"  called  the  girl,  and  the  donkey  tried 
to  obey.  He  managed  to  bound  pretty  high  but  when  he  tried 
to  bound  across  the  stream  he  misjudged  the  distance  and  fell 
with  a  splash  into  the  middle  of  the  water. 

"Hee-haw!"  he  wailed,  struggling  toward  the  far  bank. 
Betsy  rushed  forward  to  help  him  out,  but  when  the  mule 
stood  safely  beside  her  she  was  amazed  to  find  he  was  not 
wet  at  all. 

"It's  dry  water,"  said  Polychrome,  dipping  her  hand  into 

100 


Chapter  Nine 


the  stream  and  showing  how  the  water  fell  from  it  ^nd  left  it 
perfectly  dry. 

"In  that  case,"  returned  Betsy,  "they  can  all  vAlk  through 
the  water." 

She  called  to  Ozga  and  Shaggy  to  wade  across,  assuring 
them  the  water  was  shallow  and  would  not  wet  them.  At 
once  they  followed  her  advice,  avoiding  the  rubber  stepping- 
stones,  and  made  the  crossing  with  ease.  This  encouraged  the 
entire  party  to  wade  through  the  dry  water,  and  in  a  few  min 
utes  all  had  assembled  on  the  bank  and  renewed  their  journey 
along  the  path  that  led  to  the  Nome  King's  dominions. 

When  Kaliko  again  looked  through  his  magic  spyglass  he 
exclaimed : 

"Bad  luck,  Your  Majesty!  All  the  invaders  have  passed 
the  Rubber  Country  and  now  are  fast  approaching  the  entrance 
to  your  caverns." 

Ruggedo  raved  and  stormed  at  the  news  and  his  anger  was 

so  great  that  several  times,  as  he  strode  up  and  down  his 

\ 

jeweled  cavern,  he  paused  to  kick  Kaliko  upon  his  shins, 
which  were  so  sensitive  that  the  poor  nome  howled  with  pain. 
Finally  the  King  said : 

"There's  no  help  for  it;  we  must  drop  these  audacious 
invaders  down  the  Hollow  Tube." 

Kaliko  gave  a  jump,  at  this,  and  looked  at  his  master 
wonderingly. 

101 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"If  you  do  .that,  Your  Majesty,"  he  said,  "you  will  make 
Tititi-Hoochoo  very  angry." 

"Neve*  fliincf  that,''  retorted  Ruggedo.  "Tititi-Hoochoo 
lives  on  the  other  side  of  the  world,  so  what  do  I  care  for  his 
anger?' 

Kaliko  shuddered  and  uttered  a  little  groan. 

"Remember  his  terrible  powers,"  he  pleaded,  "and  remem 
ber  that  he  warned  you,  the  last  time  you  slid  people  through 
the  Hollow  Tube,  that  if  you  did  it  again  he  would  take 
vengeance  upon  you." 

The  Metal  Monarch  walked  up  and  down  in  silence, 
thinking  deeply. 

"Of  two  dangers,"  said  he,  "it  is  wise  to  choose  the  least. 
What  do  you  suppose  these  invaders  want?" 

"Let  the  Long-Eared  Hearer  listen  to  them,"  suggested 
Kaliko. 

"Call  him  here  at  once!"  commanded  Ruggedo  eagerly. 

So  in  a  few  minutes  there  entered  the  cavern  a  nome  with 
enormous  ears,  who  bowed  low  before  the  King. 

"Strangers  are  approaching,"  said  Ruggedo,  "and  I  wish 
to  know  their  errand.  Listen  carefully  to  their  talk  and  tell 
me  why  they  are  coming  here,  and  what  for." 

The  nome  bowed  again  and  spread  out  his  great  ears,  sway 
ing  them  gently  up  and  down  and  back  and  forth.  For  half 
an  hour  he  stood  silent,  in  an  attitude  of  listening,  while  both 

102 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


the  King  and  Kaliko  grew  impatient  at  the  delay.  At  last  the 
Long-Eared  Hearer  spoke : 

"Shaggy  Man  is  coming  here  to  rescue  his  brother  from 
captivity,"  said  he. 

"Ha,  the  Ugly  One!"  exclaimed  Ruggedo.  "Well, 
Shaggy  Man  may  have  his  ugly  brother,  for  all  I  care.  He's 
too  lazy  to  work  and  is  always  getting  in  my  way.  Where  is 
the  Ugly  One  now,  Kaliko?" 

"The  last  time  Your  Majesty  stumbled  over  the  prisoner 
you  commanded  me  to  send  him  to  the  Metal  Forest,  which 
I  did.  I  suppose  he  is  still  there." 

"Very  good.  The  invaders  will  have  a  hard  time  finding 
the  Metal  Forest,"  said  the  King,  with  a  grin  of  malicious 
delight,  "for  half  the  time  I  can't  find  it  myself.  Yet  I  created 
the  forest  and  made  every  tree,  out  of  gold  and  silver,  so  as 
to  keep  the  precious  metals  in  a  safe  place  and  out  of  the  reach 
of  mortals.  But  tell  me,  Hearer,  do  the  strangers  want  any 
thing  else?' 

"Yes,  indeed  they  do!"  returned  the  nome.  "The  Army 
of  Oogaboo  is  determined  to  capture  all  the  rich  metals  and 
rare  jewels  in  your  kingdom,  and  the  officers  and  their  Queen 
have  arranged  to  divide  the  spoils  and  carry  them  away." 

When  he  heard  this  Ruggedo  uttered  a  bellow  of  rage  and 
began  dancing  up  and  down,  rolling  his  eyes,  clicking  his 
teeth  together  and  swinging  his  arms  furiously.  Then,  in  an 

104 


Chapter  Nine 


ecstasy  of  anger  he  seized  the  long  ears  of  the  Hearer  and 
pulled  and  twisted  them  cruelly;  but  Kaliko  grabbed  up  the 
King's  sceptre  and  rapped  him  over  the  knuckles  with  it,  so 
that  Ruggedo  let  go  the  ears  and  began  to  chase  his  Royal 
Chamberlain  around  the  throne. 

The  Hearer  took  advantage  of  this  opportunity  to  slip 
away  from  the  cavern  and  escape,  and  after  the  King  had  tired 
himself  out  chasing  Kaliko  he  threw  himself  into  his  throne 
and  panted  for  breath,  while  he  glared  wickedly  at  his  defiant 
subject. 

"You'd  better  save  your  strength  to  fight  the  enemy," 
suggested  Kaliko.  "There  will  be  a  terrible  battle  when  the 
Army  of  Oogaboo  gets  here." 

"The  Army  won't  get  here,"  said  the  King,  still  coughing 
and  panting.  "I'll  drop  'em  down  the  Hollow  Tube — every 
man  Jack  and  every  girl  Jill  of  'em!" 

"And  defy  Tititi-Hoochoo?"  asked  Kaliko. 

"Yes.  Go  at  once  to  my  Chief  Magician  and  order  him  to 
turn  the  path  toward  the  Hollow  Tube,  and  to  make  the  top 
of  the  Tube  invisible,  so  they'll  all  fall  into  it." 

Kaliko  went  away  shaking  his  head,  for  he  thought  Rug 
gedo  was  making  a  great  mistake.  He  found  the  Magician 
and  had  the  path  twisted  so  that  it  led  directly  to  the  opening 
of  the  Hollow  Tube,  and  this  opening  he  made  invisible. 

Having  obeyed  the  orders  of  his  master,  the  Royal  Cham- 

105 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


berlain  went  to  his  private  room  and  began  to  write  letters  of 
recommendation  of  himself,  stating  that  he  was  an  honest 
man,  a  good  servant  and  a  small  eater. 

"Pretty  soon,"  he  said  to  himself,  "I  shall  have  to  look  for 
another  job,  for  it  is  certain  that  Ruggedo  has  ruined  himself 
by  this  reckless  defiance  of  the  mighty  Tititi-Hoochoo.  And 
in  seeking  a  job  nothing  is  so  effective  as  a  letter  of  recom 
mendation." 


106 


CHAPTER  10 

A  Terrible  Tumble  Through  a  Tube 

I  SUPPOSE  that  Polychrome,  and  perhaps  Queen  Ann  and 
her  Army,  might  have  been  able  to  dispel  the  enchantment  of 
Ruggedo's  Chief  Magician  had  they  known  that  danger  lay 
in  their  pathway;  for  the  Rainbow's  Daughter  was  a  fairy 
and  as  Oogaboo  is  a  part  of  the  Land  of  Oz  its  inhabitants 
cannot  easily  be  deceived  by  such  common  magic  as  the  Nome 
King  could  command.  But  no  one  suspected  any  especial 
danger  until  after  they  had  entered  Ruggedo's  cavern,  and  so 
they  were  journeying  along  in  quite  a  contented  manner  when 
Tik-Tok,  who  marched  ahead,  suddenly  disappeared. 

The  officers  thought  he  must  have  turned  a  corner,  so  they 
kept  on  their  way  and  all  of  them  likewise  disappeared — one 

107 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


after  another.  Queen  Ann  was  rather  surprised  at  this,  and 
in  hastening  forward  to  learn  the  reason  she  also  vanished 
from  sight. 

Betsy  Bobbin  had  tired  her  feet  by  walking,  so  she  was 
now  riding  upon  the  back  of  the  stout  little  mule,  facing  back 
ward  and  talking  to  Shaggy  and  Polychrome,  who  were  just 
behind.  Suddenly  Hank  pitched  forward  and  began  falling 
and  Betsy  would  have  tumbled  over  his  head  had  she  not 
grabbed  the  mule's  shaggy  neck  with  both  arms  and  held  on 
for  dear  life. 

All  around  was  darkness,  and  they  were  not  falling  directly 
downward  but  seemed  to  be  sliding  along  a  steep  incline. 
Hank's  hoofs  were  resting  upon  some  smooth  substance  over 
which  he  slid  with  the  swiftness  of  the  wind.  Once  Betsy's 
heels  flew  up  and  struck  a  similar  substance  overhead.  They 
were,  indeed,  descending  the  "Hollow  Tube"  that  led  to  the 
other  side  of  the  world. 

"Stop,  Hank — stop !"  cried  the  girl ;  but  Hank  only  uttered 
a  plaintive  "Hee-haw!"  for  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  obey. 

After  several  minutes  had  passed  and  no  harm  had  befallen 
them,  Betsy  gained  courage.  She  could  see  nothing  at  all, 
nor  could  she  hear  anything  except  the  rush  of  air  past  her 
ears  as  they  plunged  downward  along  the  Tube.  Whether 
she  and  Hank  were  alone,  or  the  others  were  with  them,  she 
could  not  tell.  But  had  some  one  been  able  to  take  a  flash- 

108 


Chapter  Ten 


light  photograph  of  the  Tube  at  that  time  a  most  curious 
picture  would  have  resulted.  There  was  Tik-Tok,  flat  upon 
his  back  and  sliding  headforemost  down  the  incline.  And 
there  were  the  Officers  of  the  Army  of  Oogaboo,  all  tangled 
up  in  a  confused  crowd,  flapping  their  arms  and  trying  to 
shield  their  faces  from  the  clanking  swords,  which  swung  back 
and  forth  during  the  swift  journey  and  pommeled  everyone 
within  their  reach.  Now  followed  Queen  Ann,  who  had  struck 
the  Tube  in  a  sitting  position  and  went  flying  along  with  a 
dash  and  abandon  that  thoroughly  bewildered  the  poor  lady, 
who  had  no  idea  what  had  happened  to  her.  Then,  a  little 
distance  away,  but  unseen  by  the  others  in  the  inky  darkness, 
slid  Betsy  and  Hank,  while  behind  them  were  Shaggy  and 
Polychrome  and  finally  Files  and  the  Princess. 

When  first  they  tumbled  into  the  Tube  all  were  too  dazed 
to  think  clearly,  but  the  trip  was  a  long  one,  because  the  cavity 
led  straight  through  the  earth  to  a  place  just  opposite  the  Nome 
King's  dominions,  and  long  before  the  adventurers  got  to  the 
end  they  had  begun  to  recover  their  wits. 

"This  is  awful,  Hank!"  cried  Betsy  in  a  loud  voice,  and 
Queen  Ann  heard  her  and  called  out :  "Are  you  safe,  Betsy?" 

"Mercy,  no!"  answered  the  little  girl.  "How  could  any 
one  be  safe  when  she's  going  about  sixty  miles  a  minute*?" 
Then,  after  a  pause,  she  added :  "But  where  do  you  s'pose 
we're  going  to,  Your  Maj'sty?" 

109 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"Don't  ask  her  that,  please  don't!"  said  Shaggy,  who  was 
not  too  far  away  to  overhear  them.  "And  please  don't  ask  me 
why,  either." 

"Why?"  said  Betsy. 

"No  one  can  tell  where  we  are  going  until  we  get  there," 
replied  Shaggy,  and  then  he  yelled  "Ouch!"  for  Polychrome 
had  overtaken  him  and  was  now  sitting  on  his  head. 

The  Rainbow's  Daughter  laughed  merrily,  and  so  infec 
tious  was  this  joyous  laugh  that  Betsy  echoed  it  and  Hank 
said  "Hee-haw !"  in  a  mild  and  sympathetic  tone  of  voice. 

"I'd  like  to  know  where  and  when  we'll  arrive,  just  the 
same,"  exclaimed  the  little  girl. 

"Be  patient  and  you'll  find  out,  my  dear,"  said  Polychrome. 
"But  isn't  this  an  odd  experience?  Here  am  I,  whose  home  is 
in  the  skies,  making  a  journey  through  the  center  of  the  earth 
— where  I  never  expected  to  be !" 

"How  do  you  know  we're  in  the  center  of  the  earth?"  asked 
Betsy,  her  voice  trembling  a  little  through  nervousness. 

"Why,  we  can't  be  anywhere  else,"  replied  Polychrome. 
"I  have  often  heard  of  this  passage,  which  was  once  built  by 
a  Magician  who  was  a  great  traveler.  He  thought  it  would 
save  him  the  bother  of  going  around  the  earth's  surface,  but 
he  tumbled  through  the  Tube  so  fast  that  he  shot  out  at  the 
other  end  and  hit  a  star  in  the  sky,  which  at  once  exploded." 

"The  star  exploded?"  asked  Betsy  wonderingly. 

11O 


Chapter  Ten 


"Yes;  the  Magician  hit  it  so  hard." 

"And  what  became  of  the  Magician?"  inquired  the  girl. 

"No  one  knows  that,"  answered  Polychrome.  "But  I  don't 
think  it  matters  much." 

"It  matters  a  good  deal,  if  we  also  hit  the  stars  when  we 
come  out,"  said  Queen  Ann,  with  a  moan. 

"Don't  worry,"  advised  Polychrome.  "I  believe  the 
Magician  was  going  the  other  way,  and  probably  he  went  much 
faster  than  we  are  going." 

"It's  fast  enough  to  suit  me,"  remarked  Shaggy,  gently 
removing  Polychrome's  heel  from  his  left  eye.  "Couldn't 
you  manage  to  fall  all  by  yourself,  my  dear?" 

"I'll  try,"  laughed  the  Rainbow's  Daughter. 

All  this  time  they  were  swiftly  falling  through  the  Tube, 
and  it  was  not  so  easy  for  them  to  talk  as  you  may  imagine 
when  you  read  their  words.  But  although  they  were  so  help 
less  and  altogether  in  the  dark  as  to  their  fate,  the  fact  that 
they  were  able  to  converse  at  all  cheered  them  considerably. 

Files  and  Ozga  were  also  conversing  as  they  clung  tightly 
to  one  another,  and  the  young  fellow  bravely  strove  to  reas 
sure  the  Princess,  although  he  was  terribly  frightened,  both  on 
her  account  and  on  his  own. 

An  hour,  under  such  trying  circumstances,  is  a  very  long 
time,  and  for  more  than  an  hour  they  continued  their  fearful 
journey.  Then,  just  as  they  began  to  fear  the  Tube  would 

ill 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


never  end,  Tik-Tok  popped  out  into  broad  daylight  and,  after 
making  a  graceful  circle  in  the  air,  fell  with  a  splash  into  a 
great  marble  fountain. 

Out  came  the  officers,  in  quick  succession,  tumbling  heels 
over  head  and  striking  the  ground  in  many  undignified 
attitudes. 

"For  the  love  of  sassafras!"  exclaimed  a  Peculiar  Person 
who  was  hoeing  pink  violets  in  a  garden.  "What  can  all  this 
mean?" 

For  answer,  Queen  Ann  sailed  up  from  the  Tube,  took  a 
ride  through  the  air  as  high  as  the  treetops,  and  alighted 
squarely  on  top  of  the  Peculiar  Person's  head,  smashing  a 
jeweled  crown  over  his  eyes  and  tumbling  him  to  the  ground. 

The  mule  was  heavier  and  had  Betsy  clinging  to  his  back, 
so  he  did  not  go  so  high  up.  Fortunately  for  his  little  rider  he 
struck  the  ground  upon  his  four  feet.  Betsy  was  jarred  a  trifle 
but  not  hurt  and  when  she  looked  around  her  she  saw  the 
Queen  and  the  Peculiar  Person  struggling  together  upon  the 
ground,  where  the  man  was  trying  to  choke  Ann  and  she  had 
both  hands  in  his  bushy  hair  and  was  pulling  with  all  her 
might.  Some  of  the  officers,  when  they  got  upon  their  feet, 
hastened  to  separate  the  combatants  and  sought  to  restrain 
the  Peculiar  Person  so  that  he  could  not  attack  their  Queen 
again. 

By  this  time,  Shaggy,  Polychrome,  Ozga  and  Files  had  all 

112 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


arrived  and  were  curiously  examining  the  strange  country 
in  which  they  found  themselves  and  which  they  knew  to  be 
exactly  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  world  from  the  place  where 
they  had  fallen  into  the  Tube.  It  was  a  lovely  place,  indeed, 
and  seemed  to  be  the  garden  of  some  great  Prince,  for  through 
the  vistas  of  trees  and  shrubbery  could  be  seen  the  towers  of 
an  immense  castle.  But  as  yet  the  only  inhabitant  to  greet 
them  was  the  Peculiar  Person  just  mentioned,  who  had  shaken 
off  the  grasp  of  the  officers  without  effort  and  was  now  trying 
to  pull  the  battered  crown  from  off  his  eyes. 

Shaggy,  who  was  always  polite,  helped  him  to  do  this  and 
when  the  man  was  free  and  could  see  again  he  looked  at  his 
visitors  with  evident  amazement. 

"Well,  well,  well!"  he  exclaimed.  "Where  did  you  come 
from  and  how  did  you  get  here?" 

Betsy  tried  to  answer  him,  for  Queen  Ann  was  surly  and 
silent. 

"I  can't  say,  exac'ly  where  we  came  from,  'cause  I  don't 
know  the  name  of  the  place,"  said  the  girl,  "but  the  way  we 
got  here  was  through  the  Hollow  Tube." 

"Don't  call  it  a  'hollow'  Tube,  please,"  exclaimed  the 
Peculiar  Person  in  an  irritated  tone  of  voice.  "If  it's  a  tube, 
it's  sure  to  be  hollow." 

"Why?"  asked  Betsy. 

"Because  all  tubes  are  made  that  way.    But  this  Tube  is 


Chapter  Ten 


private  property  and  everyone  is  forbidden  to  fall  into  it." 

"We  didn't  do  it  on  purpose,"  explained  Betsy,  and  Poly 
chrome  added  : 

"I  am  quite  sure  that  Ruggedo.  the  Nome  King,  pushed 
us  down  that  Tube." 

"Ha !  Ruggedo !  Did  you  say  Ruggedo  ?"  cried  the  man, 
becoming  much  excited. 

"That  is  what  she  said,"  replied  Shaggy,  "and  I  believe  she 
is  right.  We  were  on  our  way  to  conquer  the  Nome  King  when 
suddenly  we  fell  into  the  Tube." 

"Then  you  are  enemies  of  Ruggedo?"  inquired  the  Pecu 
liar  Person. 

"Not  exac'ly  enemies,"  said  Betsy,  a  little  puzzled  by  the 
question,  "  'cause  we  don't  know  him  at  all;  but  we  started 
out  to  conquer  him,  which  isn't  as  friendly  as  it  might  be." 

"True,"  agreed  the  man.  He  looked  thoughtfully  from 
one  to  another  of  them  for  a  while  and  then  he  turned  his  head 
over  his  shoulder  and  said :  "Never  mind  the  fire  and  pincers, 
my  good  brothers.  It  will  be  best  to  take  these  strangers  to 
the  Private  Citizen." 

"Very  well,  Tubekins,"  responded  a  Voice,  deep  and  pow 
erful,  that  seemed  to  come  out  of  the  air,  for  the  speaker  was 
invisible. 

All  our  friends  gave  a  jump,  at  this.  Even  Polychrome 
was  so  startled  that  her  gauze  draperies  fluttered  like  a  ban- 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


ner  in  a  breeze.  Shaggy  shook  his  head  and  sighed;  Queen 
Ann  looked  very  unhappy;  the  officers  clung  to  each  other, 
trembling  violently. 

But  soon  they  gained  courage  to  look  more  closely  at  the 
Peculiar  Person.  As  he  was  a  type  of  all  the  inhabitants  of 
this  extraordinary  land  whom  they  afterward  met,  I  will  try 
to  tell  you  what  he  looked  like. 

His  face  was  beautiful,  but  lacked  expression.  His  eyes 
were  large  and  blue  in  color  and  his  teeth  finely  formed  and 
white  as  snow.  His  hair  was  black  and  bushy  and  seemed 
inclined  to  curl  at  the  ends.  So  far  no  one  could  find  any  fault 
with  his  appearance.  He  wore  a  robe  of  scarlet,  which  did  not 
cover  his  arms  and  extended  no  lower  than  his  bare  knees.  On 
the  bosom  of  the  robe  was  embroidered  a  terrible  dragon's 
head,  as  horrible  to  look  at  as  the  man  was  beautiful.  His 
arms  and  legs  were  left  bare  and  the  skin  of  one  arm  was  bright 
yellow  and  the  skin  of  the  other  arm  a  vivid  green.  He  had 
one  blue  leg  and  one  pink  one,  while  both  his  feet — which 
showed  through  the  open  sandals  he  wore — were  jet  black. 

Betsy  could  not  decide  whether  these  gorgeous  colors  were 
dyes  or  the  natural  tints  of  the  skin,  but  while  she  was  thinking 
it  over  the  man  who  had  been  called  "Tubekins"  said : 

"Follow  me  to  the  Residence — all  of  you!53 

But  just  then  a  Voice  exclaimed:  "Here's  another  of 
them,  Tubekins,  lying  in  the  water  of  the  fountain." 

116 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"Gracious!"  cried  Betsy;  "it  must  be  Tik-Tok,  and  he'll 
drown." 

"Water  is  a  bad  thing  for  his  clockworks,  anyhow/'  agreed 
Shaggy,  as  with  one  accord  they  all  started  for  the  fountain. 
But  before  they  could  reach  it,  invisible  hands  raised  Tik- 
Tok  from  the  marble  basin  and  set  him  upon  his  feet  beside 
it,  water  dripping  from  every  joint  of  his  copper  body. 

"Ma — ny  tha — tha — tha — thanks!"  he  said;  and  then  his 
copper  jaws  clicked  together  and  he  could  say  no  more.  He 
next  made  an  attempt  to  walk  but  after  several  awkward 
trials  found  he  could  not  move  his  joints. 

Peals  of  jeering  laughter  from  persons  unseen  greeted 
Tik-Tok's  failure,  and  the  new  arrivals  in  this  strange  land 
found  it  very  uncomfortable  to  realize  that  there  were  many 
creatures  around  them  who  were  invisible,  yet  could  be  heard 
plainly.  . 

"Shall  I  wind  him  up?"  asked  Betsy,  feeling  very  sorry 
for  Tik-Tok. 

"I  think  his  machinery  is  wound;  but  he  needs  oiling," 
replied  Shaggy. 

At  once  an  oil-can  appeared  before  him,  held  on  a  level 
with  his  eyes  by  some  unseen  hand.  Shaggy  took  the  can  and 
tried  to  oil  Tik-Tok's  joints.  As  if  to  assist  him,  a  strong  cur 
rent  of  warm  air  was  directed  against  the  copper  man,  which 
quickly  dried  him.  Soon  he  was  able  to  say  "Ma-ny  thanks !" 

118 


Chapter  Ten 


quite  smoothly  and  his  joints  worked  fairly  well. 

"Come !"  commanded  Tubekins,  and  turning  his  back  upon 
them  he  walked  up  the  path  toward  the  castle. 

"Shall  we  go?"  asked  Queen  Ann,  uncertainly;  but  just 
then  she  received  a  shove  that  almost  pitched  her  forward  on 
her  head;  so  she  decided  to  go.  The  officers  who  hesitated 
received  several  energetic  kicks,  but  could  not  see  who  deliv 
ered  them;  therefore  they  also  decided — very  wisely — to  go. 
The  others  followed  willingly  enough,  for  unless  they  ven 
tured  upon  another  terrible  journey  through  the  Tube  they 
must  make  the  best  of  the  unknown  country  they  were  in,  and 
the  best  seemed  to  be  to  obey  orders. 


119 


CHAPTER  11 

The  Famous  Fellowship  of  Fairies 

AFTER  a  short  walk  through  very  beautiful,  gardens  they 
came  to  the  castle  and  followed  Tubekins  through  the  entrance 
and  into  a  great  domed  chamber,  where  he  commanded  them  to 
be  seated. 

From  the  crown  which  he  wore,  Betsy  had  thought  this  man 
must  be  the  King  of  the  country  they  were  in,  yet  after  he  had 
seated  all  the  strangers  upon  benches  that  were  ranged  in  a 
semicircle  before  a  high  throne,  Tubekins  bowed  humbly 
before  the  vacant  throne  and  in  a  flash  became  invisible  and 
disappeared. 

The  hall  was  an  immense  place,  but  there  seemed  to  be  no 
one  in  it  beside  themselves.  Presently,  however,  they  heard 

12O 


Chapter  Eleven 


a  low  cough  near  them,  and  here  and  there  was  the  faint 
rustling  of  a  robe  and  a  slight  patter  as  of  footsteps.  Then 
suddenly  there  rang  out  the  clear  tone  of  a  bell  and  at  the 
sound  all  was  changed. 

Gazing  around  the  hall  in  bewilderment  they  saw  that  it 
was  filled  with  hundreds  of  men  and  women,  all  with  beauti 
ful  faces  and  staring  blue  eyes  and  all  wearing  scarlet  robes 
and  jeweled  crowns  upon  their  heads.  In  fact,  these  people 
seemed  exact  duplicates  of  Tubekins  and  it  was  difficult  to 
find  any  mark  by  which  to  tell  them  apart. 

"My!  what  a  lot  of  Kings  and  Queens!"  whispered  Betsy 
to  Polychrome,  who  sat  beside  her  and  appeared  much  inter 
ested  in  the  scene  but  not  a  bit  worried. 

"It  is  certainly  a  strange  sight,"  was  Polychrome's  reply; 
"but  I  cannot  see  how  there  can  be  more  than  one  King,  or 
Queen,  in  any  one  country,  for  were  these  all  rulers,  no  one 
could  tell  who  was  Master." 

One  of  the  Kings  who  stood  near  and  overheard  this  remark 
turned  to  her  and  said:  "One  who  is  Master  of  himself  is 
always  a  King,  if  only  to  himself.  In  this  favored  land  all 
Kings  and  Queens  are  equal,  and  it  is  our  privilege  to  bow 
before  one  supreme  Ruler — the  Private  Citizen." 

"Who's  he?"  inquired  Betsy. 

As  if  to  answer  her,  the  clear  tones  of  the  bell  again  rang 
out  and  instantly  there  appeared  seated  in  the  throne  the 

121 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


man  who  was  lord  and  master  of  all  these  royal  ones.  This 
fact  was  evident  when  with  one  accord  they  fell  upon  their 
knees  and  touched  their  foreheads  to  the  floor. 

The  Private  Citizen  was  not  unlike  the  others,  except  that 
his  eyes  were  black  instead  of  blue  and  in  the  centers  of  the 
black  irises  glowed  red  sparks  that  seemed  like  coals  of  fire. 
But  his  features  were  very  beautiful  and  dignified  and  his 
manner  composed  and  stately.  Instead  of  the  prevalent 
scarlet  robe,  he  wore  one  of  white,  and  the  same  dragon's  head 
that  decorated  the  others  was  embroidered  upon  its  bosom. 

"What  charge  lies  against  these  people,  Tubekins?"  he 
asked  in  quiet,  even  tones. 

"They  came  through  the  forbidden  Tube,  O  Mighty  Citi 
zen,"  was  the  reply. 

"You  see,  it  was  this  way,"  said  Betsy.  "We  were  march 
ing  to  the  Nome  King,  to  conquer  him  and  set  Shaggy' s  brother 
free,  when  on  a  sudden — " 

"Who  are  you?"  demanded  the  Private  Citizen  sternly. 

"Me?    Oh,  I'm  Betsy  Bobbin,  and—" 

"Who  is  the  leader  of  this  party?"  asked  the  Citizen. 

"Sir,  I  am  Queen  Ann  of  Oogaboo,  and — " 

"Then  keep  quiet,"  said  the  Citizen.    "Who  is  the  leader?" 

No  one  answered  for  a  moment.  Then  General  Bunn 
stood  up. 

"Sit  down !"  commanded  the  Citizen.    "I  can  see  that  six- 

122 


Chapter  Eleven 


teen  of  you  are  merely  officers,  and  of  no  account." 

"But  we  have  an  Army,"  said  General  Clock,  blusteringly, 
for  he  didn't  like  to  be  told  he  was  of  no  account. 

"Where  is  your  Army?"  asked  the  Citizen. 

"It's  me,"  said  Tik-Tok,  his  voice  sounding  a  little  rusty. 
"I'm  the  on-ly  Pri-vate  Sol-dier  in  the  par-ty." 

Hearing  this,  the  Citizen  rose  and  bowed  respectfully  to 
the  Clockwork  Man. 

"Pardon  me  for  not  realizing  your  importance  before," 
said  he.  "Will  you  oblige  me  by  taking  a  seat  beside  me  on 
my  throne?" 

Tik-Tok  rose  and  walked  over  to  the  throne,  all  the  Kings 
and  Queens  making  way  for  him.  Then  with  clanking  steps 
he  mounted  the  platform  and  sat  on  the  broad  seat  beside  the 
Citizen. 

Ann  was  greatly  provoked  at  this  mark  of  favor  shown  to 
the  humble  Clockwork  Man,  but  Shaggy  seemed  much  pleased 
that  his  old  friend's  importance  had  been  recognized  by  the 
ruler  of  this  remarkable  country.  The  Citizen  now  began  to 
question  Tik-Tok,  who  told  in  his  mechanical  voice  about 
Shaggy' s  quest  of  his  lost  brother,  and  how  Ozma  of  Oz  had 
sent  the  Clockwork  Man  to  assist  him,  and  how  they  had  fallen 
in  with  Queen  Ann  and  her  people  from  Oogaboo.  Also  he 
told  how  Betsy  and  Hank  and  Polychrome  and  the  Rose  Prin 
cess  had  happened  to  join  their  party. 

123 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"And  you  intended  to  conquer  Ruggedo,  the  Metal 
Monarch  and  King  of  the  Nomes?"  asked  the  Citizen. 

' 'Yes.  That  seemed  the  on-ly  thing  for  us  to  do,"  was  Tik- 
Tok' s  reply.  "But  he  was  too  clev-er  for  us.  When  we  got 
close  to  his  cav-ern  he  made  our  path  lead  to  the  Tube,  and 
made  the  op-en-ing  in-vis-i-ble,  so  that  we  all  fell  in-toit 
be-fore  we  knew  it  was  there.  It  was  an  eas-y  way  to  get  rid 
of  us  and  now  Rug-ge-do  is  safe  and  we  are  far  a-way  in  a 
strange  land." 

The  Citizen  was  silent  a  moment  and  seemed  to  be  think 
ing.  Then  he  said : 

"Most  noble  Private  Soldier,  I  must  inform  you  that  by 
the  laws  of  our  country  anyone  who  comes  through  the  For 
bidden  Tube  must  be  tortured  for  nine  days  ,and  ten  nights 
and  then  thrown  back  into  the  Tube.  But  it  is  wise  to  disre 
gard  laws  when  they  conflict  with  justice,  and  it  seems  that 
you  and  your  followers  did  not  disobey  our  laws  willingly, 
being  forced  into  the  Tube  by  Ruggedo.  Therefore  the  Nome 
King  is  alone  to  blame,  and  he  alone  must  be  punished." 

"That  suits  me,"  said  Tik-Tok.  "But  Rug-ge-do  is  on 
the  o-ther  side  of  the  world  where  he  is  a-way  out  of  your 
reach." 

The  Citizen  drew  himself  up  proudly. 

"Do  you  imagine  anything  in  the  world  or  upon  it  can  be 
out  of  the  reach  of  the  Great  Jinjin?"  he  asked. 

124 


Chapter  Eleven 


"Oh!  Are  you,  then,  the  Great  Jinjin?"  inquired  Tik- 
Tok. 

"lam." 

"Then  your  name  is  Ti-ti-ti-Hoo-choo?' 

"It  is." 

Queen  Ann  gave  a  scream  and  began  to  tremble.  Shaggy 
was  so  disturbed  that  he  took  out  a  handkerchief  and  wiped 
the  perspiration  from  his  brow.  Polychrome  looked  sober  and 
uneasy  for  the  first  time,  while  Files  put  his  arms  around  the 
Rose  Princess  as  if  to  protect  her.  As  for  the  officers,  the  name 
of  the  great  Jin j  in  set  them  moaning  and  weeping  at  a  great 
rate  and  every  one  fell  upon  his  knees  before  the  throne,  beg 
ging  for  mercy.  Betsy  was  worried  at  seeing  her  companions 
so  disturbed,  but  did  not  know  what  it  was  all  about.  Only 
Tik-Tok  was  unmoved  at  the  discovery. 

"Then,"  said  he,  "if  you  are  Ti-ti-ti-Hoo-choo,  and  think 
Rug-ge-do  is  to  blame,  I  am  sure  that  some-thing  queer  will 
hap-pen  to  the  King  of  the  Nomes." 

"I  wonder  what  'twill  be,"  said  Betsy. 

The  Private  Citizen — otherwise  known  as  Tititi-Hoochoo, 
the  Great  Jin  j  in — looked  at  the  little  girl  steadily. 

"I  will  presently  decide  what  is  to  happen  to  Ruggedo," 
said  he  in  a  hard,  stern  voice.  Then,  turning  to  the  throng  of 
Kings  and  Queens,  he  continued :  "Tik-Tok  has  spoken  truly, 
for  his  machinery  will  not  allow  him  to  lie,  nor  will  it  allow 

125 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


his  thoughts  to  think  falsely.  Therefore  these  people  are  not 
our  enemies  and  must  be  treated  with  consideration  and  jus 
tice.  Take  them  to  your  palaces  and  entertain  them  as  guests 
until  to-morrow,  when  I  command  that  they  be  brought  again 
to  my  Residence.  By  then  I  shall  have  formed  my  plans." 

No  sooner  had  Tititi-Hoochoo  spoken  than  he  disappeared 
from  sight.  Immediately  after,  most  of  the  Kings  and  Queens 
likewise  disappeared.  But  several  of  them  remained  visible 
and  approached  the  strangers  with  great  respect.  One  of  the 
lovely  Queens  said  to  Betsy  : 

"I  trust  you  will  honor  me  by  being  my  guest.  I  am  Erma, 
Queen  of  Light." 

"May  Hank  come  with  me?"  asked  the  girl. 

"The  King  of  Animals  will  care  for  your  mule,"  was  the 
reply.  "But  do  not  fear  for  him,  for  he  will  be  treated  royally. 
All  of  your  party  will  be  reunited  on  the  morrow." 

"I — I'd  like  to  have  some  one  with  me,"  said  Betsy, 
pleadingly. 

Queen  Erma  looked  around  and  smiled  upon  Polychrome. 

"Will  the  Rainbow's  Daughter  be  an  agreeable  com 
panion?"  she  asked. 

"Oh,  yes!"  exclaimed  the  girl. 

So  Polychrome  and  Betsy  became  guests  of  the  Queen  of 
Light,  while  other  beautiful  Kings  and  Queens  took  charge  of 
the  others  of  the  party. 

126 


i  7 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


The  two  girls  followed  Erma  out  of  the  hall  and  through 
the  gardens  of  the  Residence  to  a  village  of  pretty  dwellings. 
None  of  these  was  so  large  or  imposing  as  the  castle  of  the 
Private  Citizen,  but  all  were  handsome  enough  to  be  called 
palaces — as,  in  fact,  they  really  were. 


128 


CHAPTER  12 

The  Lovely  Lady  of  Light 

THE  PALACE  of  the  Queen  of  Light  stood  on  a  little  emi 
nence  and  was  a  mass  of  crystal  windows,  surmounted  by  a 
vast  crystal  dome.  When  they  entered  the  portals  Erma  was 
greeted  by  six  lovely  maidens,  evidently  of  high  degree,  who 
at  once  aroused  Betsy's  admiration.  Each  bore  a  wand  in  her 
hand,  tipped  with  an  emblem  of  light,  and  their  costumes  were 
also  emblematic  of  the  lights  they  represented.  Erma  intro 
duced  them  to  her  guests  and  each  made  a  graceful  and  courte 
ous  acknowledgment. 

First  was  Sunlight,  radiantly  beautiful  and  very  fair ;  the 
second  was  Moonlight,  a  soft,  dreamy  damsel  with  nut-brown 
hair;  next  came  Starlight,  equally  lovely  but  inclined  to  be 
retiring  and  shy.  These  three  were  dressed  in  shimmering 

129 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


robes  of  silvery  white.  The  fourth  was  Daylight,  a  brilliant 
damsel  with  laughing  eyes  and  frank  manners,  who  wore  a 
variety  of  colors.  Then  came  Firelight,  clothed  in  a  fleecy 
flame-colored  robe  that  wavered  around  her  shapely  form 
in  a  very  attractive  manner.  The  sixth  maiden,  Electra,  was 
the  most  beautiful  of  all,  and  Betsy  thought  from  the  first 
that  both  Sunlight  and  Daylight  regarded  Electra  with  envy 
and  were  a  little  jealous  of  her. 

But  all  were  cordial  in  their  greetings  to  the  strangers  and 
seemed  to  regard  the  Queen  of  Light  with  much  affection,  for 
they  fluttered  around  her  in  a  flashing,  radiant  group  as  she 
led  the  way  to  her  regal  drawing-room. 

This  apartment  was  richly  and  cosily  furnished,  the 
upholstery  being  of  many  tints,  and  both  Betsy  and  Poly 
chrome  enjoyed  resting  themselves  upon  the  downy  divans 
after  their  strenuous  adventures  of  the  day. 

The  Queen  sat  down  to  chat  with  her  guests,  who  noticed 
that  Daylight  was  the  only  maiden  now  seated  beside  Erma. 
The  others  had  retired  to  another  part  of  the  room,  where  they 
sat  modestly  with  entwined  arms  and  did  not  intrude  them 
selves  at  all. 

The  Queen  told  the  strangers  all  about  this  beautiful 
land,  which  is  one  of  the  chief  residences  of  fairies  who  minis 
ter  to  the  needs  of  mankind.  So  many  important  fairies  lived 

130 


Chapter  Twelve 


there  that,  to  avoid  rivalry,  they  had  elected  as  their  Ruler 
the  only  important  personage  in  the  country  who  had  no 
duties  to  mankind  to  perform  and  was,  in  effect,  a  Private 
Citizen.  This  Ruler,  or  Jin j in,  as  was  his  title,  bore  the  name 
of  Tititi-Hoochoo,  and  the  most  singular  thing  about  him 
was  that  he  had  no  heart.  But  instead  of  this  he  possessed 
a  high  degree  of  Reason  and  Justice  and  while  he  showed  no 
mercy  in  his  judgments  he  never  punished  unjustly  or  without 
reason.  To  wrong-doers  Tititi-Hoochoo  was  as  terrible  as  he 
was  heartless,  but  those  who  were  innocent  of  evil  had  nothing 
to  fear  from  him. 

All  the  Kings  and  Queens  of  this  fairyland  paid  reverence 
to  Jin  j  in,  for  as  they  expected  to  be  obeyed  by  others  they 
were  willing  to  obey  the  one  in  authority  over  them. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  Land  of  Oz  had  heard  many  tales 
of  this  fearfully  just  Jin  j  in,  whose  punishments  were  always 
equal  to  the  faults  committed.  Polychrome  also  knew  of  him, 
although  this  was  the  first  time  she  had  ever  seen  him  face  to 
face.  But  to  Betsy  the  story  was  all  new,  and  she  was  greatly 
interested  in  Tititi-Hoochoo,  whom  she  no  longer  feared. 

Time  sped  swiftly  during  their  talk  and  suddenly  Betsy 
noticed  that  Moonlight  was  sitting  beside  the  Queen  of  Light, 
instead  of  Daylight. 

"But  tell  me,  please,"  she  pleaded,  "why  do  you  all  wear 
a  dragon's  head  embroidered  on  your  gowns?" 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


Erma's  pleasant  face  became  grave  as  she  answered: 

"The  Dragon,  as  you  must  know,  was  the  first  living 
creature  ever  made;  therefore  the  Dragon  is  the  oldest  and 
\  isest  of  living  things.  By  good  fortune  the  Original 
Dragon,  who  still  lives,  is  a  resident  of  this  land  and  supplies 
us  with  wisdom  whenever  we  are  in  need  of  it.  He  is  old  as 
the  world  and  remembers  everything  that  has  happened  since 
the  world  was  created/' 

"Did  he  ever  have  any  children?"  inquired  the  girl. 

"Yes,  many  of  them.  Some  wandered  into  other  lands, 
where  men,  not  understanding  them,  made  war  upon  them; 
but  many  still  reside  in  this  country.  None,  however,  is  as 
wise  as  the  Original  Dragon,  for  whom  we  have  great  respect. 
As  he  was  the  first  resident  here,  we  wear  the  emblem  of  the 
dragon's  head  to  show  that  we  are  the  favored  people  who 
alone  have  the  right  to  inhabit  this  fairyland,  which  in  beauty 
almost  equal  the  Fairyland  of  Oz,  and  in  power  quite  sur 
passes  it." 

"I  understand  about  the  dragon,  now,"  said  Polychrome, 
nodding  her  lovely  head.  Betsy  did  not  quite  understand, 
but  she  was  at  present  interested  in  observing  the  changing 
lights.  As  Daylight  had  given  way  to  Moonlight,  so  now 
Starlight  sat  at  the  right  hand  of  Erma  the  Queen,  and  with 
her  coming  a  spirit  of  peace  and  content  seemed  to  fill  the 
room.  Polychrome,  being  herself  a  fairy,  had  many  questions 

132 


Chapter  Twelve 


to  ask  about  the  various  Kings  and  Queens  who  lived  in  this 
far-away,  secluded  place,  and  before  Erma  had  finished 
answering  them  a  rosy  glow  filled  the  room  and  Firelight 
took  her  place  beside  the  Queen. 

Betsy  liked  Firelight,  but  to  gaze  upon  her  warm  and 
glowing  features  made  the  little  girl  sleepy,  and  presently  she 
began  to  nod.  Thereupon  Erma  rose  and  took  Betsy's  hand 
gently  in  her  own. 

"Come/'  said  she;  "the  feast  time  has  arrived  and  the  feast 
is  spread." 

"That's  nice,"  exclaimed  the  small  mortal.  "Now  that  I 
think  of  it,  I'm  awful  hungry.  But  p'raps  I  can't  eat  your 
fairy  food." 

The  Queen  smiled  and  led  her  to  a  doorway.  As  she 
pushed  aside  a  heavy  drapery  a  flood  of  silvery  light  greeted 
them,  and  Betsy  saw  before  her  a  splendid  banquet  hall,  with 
a  table  spread  with  snowy  linen  and  crystal  and  silver.  At 
one  side  was  a  broad,  throne-like  seat  for  Erma  and  beside  her 
now  sat  the  brilliant  maid  Electra.  Polychrome  was  placed 
on  the  Queen's  right  hand  and  Betsy  upon  her  left.  The  other 
five  messengers  of  light  now  waited  upon  them,  and  each  per 
son  was  supplied  with  just  the  food  she  liked  best.  Poly 
chrome  found  her  dish  of  dewdrops,  all  fresh  and  sparkling, 
while  Betsy  was  so  lavishly  served  that  she  decided  she  had 
never  in  her  life  eaten  a  dinner  half  so  good. 

133 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"I  s'pose,"  she  said  to  the  Queen,  "that  Miss  Electra  is 
the  youngest  of  all  these  girls." 

"Why  do  you  suppose  that?"  inquired  Erma,  with  a  smile. 
''Cause   electric' ty  is   the   newest   light   we   know   of. 

Didn't  Mr.  Edison  discover  it?" 

f' 

"Perhaps  he  was  the  first  mortal  to  discover  it,"  replied  the 
Queen.  "But  electricity  was  a  part  of  the  world  from  its  crea 
tion,  and  therefore  my  Electra  is  as  old  as  Daylight  or  Moon 
light,  and  equally  beneficent  to  mortals  and  fairies  alike." 

Betsy  was  thoughtful  for  a  time.  Then  she  remarked,  as 
she  looked  at  the  six  messengers  of  light : 

"We  couldn't  very  well  do  without  any  of  'em;  could  we?" 

Erma  laughed  softly.  "/  couldn't,  I'm  sure,"  she  replied, 
"and  I  think  mortals  would  miss  any  one  of  my  maidens,  as 
well.  Daylight  cannot  take  the  place  of  Sunlight,  which  gives 
us  strength  and  energy.  Moonlight  is  of  value  when  Day 
light,  worn  out  with  her  long  watch,  retires  to  rest.  If  the 
moon  in  its  course  is  hidden  behind  the  earth's  rim,  and  my 
sweet  Moonlight  cannot  cheer  us,  Starlight  takes  her  place,  for 
the  skies  always  lend  her  power.  Without  Firelight  we 
should  miss  much  of  our  warmth  and  comfort,  as  well  as  much 
cheer  when  the  walls  of  houses  encompass  us.  But  always, 
when  other  lights  forsake  us,  our  glorious  Electra  is  ready  to 
flood  us  with  bright  rays.  As  Queen  of  Light,  I  love  all  my 
maidens,  for  I  know  them  to  be  faithful  and  true." 

134 


Chapter  Twelve 


"I  love  'em,  too!"  declared  Betsy.  "But  sometimes,  when 
I'm  real  sleepy,  I  can  get  along  without  any  light  at  all." 

"Are  you  sleepy  now?"  inquired  Erma,  for  the  feast  had 
ended. 

"A  little,"  admitted  the  girl. 

So  Electra  showed  her  to  a  pretty  chamber  where  there  was 
a  soft,  white  bed,  and  waited  patiently  until  Betsy  had 
undressed  and  put  on  a  shimmery  silken  nightrobe  that  lay 
beside  her  pillow.  Then  the  light-maid  bade  her  good  night 
and  opened  the  door. 

When  she  closed  it  after  her  Betsy  was  in  darkness.  In 
six  winks  the  little  girl  was  fast  asleep. 


135 


CHAPTER  13 

The  Jinjin's  Ju£  Judgment 

ALL  the  adventurers  were  reunited  next  morning  when  they 
were  brought  from  various  palaces  to  the  Residence  of  Tititi- 
Hoochoo  and  ushered  into  the  great  Hall  of  State. 

As  before,  no  one  was  visible  except  our  friends  and  their 
escorts  until  the  first  bell  sounded.  Then  in  a  flash  the  room 
was  seen  to  be  filled  with  the  beautiful  Kings  and  Queens  of 
the  land.  The  second  bell  marked  the  appearance  in  the 
throne  of  the  mighty  Jin j in,  whose  handsome  countenance 
was  as  composed  and  expressionless  as  ever. 

All  bowed  low  to  the  Ruler.  Their  voices  softly  mur 
mured:  "We  greet  the  Private  Citizen,  mightiest  of  Rulers, 
whose  word  is  Law  and  whose  Law  is  just." 

136 


Chapter  Thirteen 


Tititi-Hoochoo  bowed  in  acknowledgment.  Then,  look 
ing  around  the  brilliant  assemblage,  and  at  the  little  group  of 
adventurers  before  him,  he  said : 

"An  unusual  thing  has  happened.  Inhabitants  of  other 
lands  than  ours,  who  are  different  from  ourselves  in  many 
ways,  have  been  thrust  upon  us  through  the  Forbidden  Tube, 
which  one  of  our  people  foolishly  made  years  ago  and  was 
properly  punished  for  his  folly.  But  these  strangers  had  no 
desire  to  come  here  and  were  wickedly  thrust  into  the  Tube 
by  a  cruel  King  on  the  other  side  of  the  world,  named  Rug- 
gedo.  This  King  is  an  immortal,  but  he  is  not  good.  His 
magic  powers  hurt  mankind  more  than  they  benefit  them. 
Because  he  had  unjustly  kept  the  Shaggy  Man's  brother  a  pris 
oner,  this  little  band  of  honest  people,  consisting  of  both 
mortals  and  immortals,  determined  to  conquer  Ruggedo  and 
to  punish  him.  Fearing  they  might  succeed  in  this,  the  Nome 
King  misled  them  so  that  they  fell  into  the  Tube. 

"Now,  this  same  Ruggedo  has  been  warned  by  me,  many 
times,  that  if  ever  he  used  this  Forbidden  Tube  in  any  way 
he  would  be  severely  punished.  I  find,  by  referring  to  the 
Fairy  Records,  that  this  King's  servant,  a  nome  named  Kaliko, 
begged  his  master  not  to  do  such  a  wrong  act  as  to  drop  these 
people  into  the  Tube  and  send  them  tumbling  into  our  coun 
try.  But  Ruggedo  defied  me  and  my  orders. 

"Therefore  these  strangers  are  innocent  of  any  wrong.  It 

137 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


is  only  Ruggedo  who  deserves  punishment,  and  I  will  punish 
him."  He  paused  a  moment  and  then  continued  in  the  same 
cold,  merciless  voice : 

'These  strangers  must  return  through  the  Tube  to  their 
own  side  of  the  world;  but  I  will  make  their  fall  more  easy 
and  pleasant  than  it  was  before.  Also  I  shall  send  with  them 
an  Instrument  of  Vengeance,  who  in  my  name  will  drive  Rug 
gedo  from  his  underground  caverns,  take  away  his  magic 
powers  and  make  him  a  homeless  wanderer  on  the  face  of  the 
earth — a  place  he  detests." 

There  was  a  little  murmur  of  horror  from  the  Kings  and 
Queens  at  the  severity  of  this  punishment,  but  no  one  uttered 
a  protest,  for  all  realized  that  the  sentence  was  just. 

"In  selecting  my  Instrument  of  Vengeance,"  went  on 
Tititi-Hoochoo,  "I  have  realized  that  this  will  be  an 
unpleasant  mission.  Therefore  no  one  of  us  who  is  blameless 
should  be  forced  to  undertake  it.  In  this  wonderful  land  it 
is  seldom  one  is  guilty  of  wrong,  even  in  the  slightest  degree, 
and  on  examining  the  Records  I  found  no  King  or  Queen 
had  erred.  Nor  had  any  among  their  followers  or  servants 
done  any  wrong.  But  finally  I  came  to  the  Dragon  Family, 
which  we  highly  respect,  and  then  it  was  that  I  discovered  the 
error  of  Quox. 

"Quox,  as  you  well  know,  is  a  young  dragon  who  has  not 
yet  acquired  the  wisdom  of  his  race.  Because  of  this  lack,  he 

138 


Chapter  Thirteen 


has  been  disrespectful  toward  his  most  ancient  ancestor,  the 
Original  Dragon,  telling  him  once  to  mind  his  own  business 
and  again  saying  that  the  Ancient  One  had  grown  foolish  with 
age.  We  are  aware  that  dragons  are  not  the  same  as  fairies 
and  cannot  be  altogether  guided  by  our  laws,  yet  such  dis 
respect  as  Quox  has  shown  should  not  be  unnoticed  by  us. 
Therefore  I  have  selected  Quox  as  my  royal  Instrument  of 
Vengeance  and  he  shall  go  through  the  Tube  with  these  people 
and  inflict  upon  Ruggedo  the  punishment  I  have  decreed." 

All  had  listened  quietly  to  this  speech  and  now  the  Kings 
and  Queens  bowed  gravely  to  signify  their  approval  of  the 
Jinjin's  judgment. 

Tititi-Hoochoo  turned  to  Tubekins. 

"I  command  you,"  said  he,  "to  escort  these  strangers  to  the 
Tube  and  see  that  they  all  enter  it." 

The  King  of  the  Tube,  who  had  first  discovered  our  friends 
and  brought  them  to  the  Private  Citizen,  stepped  forward 
and  bowed.  As  he  did  so,  the  Jinjin  and  all  the  Kings  and 
Queens  suddenly  disappeared  and  only  Tubekins  remained 
visible. 

"All  right,"  said  Betsy,  with  a  sigh;  "I  don't  mind  going 
back  so  very  much,  'cause  the  Jinjin  promised  to  make  it  easy 
for  us." 

Indeed,  Queen  Ann  and  her  officers  were  the  only  ones 
who  looked  solemn  and  seemed  to  fear  the  return  journey. 

139 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


One  thing  that  bothered  Ann  was  her  failure  to  conquer  this 
land  of  Tititi-Hoochoo.  As  they  followed  their  guide  through 
the  gardens  to  the  mouth  of  the  Tube  she  said  to  Shaggy : 

"How  can  I  conquer  the  world,  if  I  go  away  and  leave  this 
rich  country  unconquered?" 

"You  can't,"  he  replied.  "Don  t  ask  me  why,  please,  for 
if  you  don't  know  I  can't  inform  you." 

"Why  not?"  said  Ann;  but  Shaggy  paid  no  attention  to 
the  question. 

This  end  of  the  Tube  had  a  silver  rim  and  around  it  was 
a  gold  railing  to  which  was  attached  a  sign  that  read : 

"IF  YOU  ARE  OUT,  STAY  THERE. 
IF  YOU  ARE  IN,  DON'T  COME  OUT." 

On  a  little  silver  plate  just  inside  the  Tube  was  engraved 
the  words: 

"  Burrowed  and  built  by 
Hiergargo  the  Magician^ 
In  the  Tear  of  the  World 

19625478 
For  his  own  exclusive  uses'' 

"He  was  some  builder,  I  must  say,"  remarked  Betsy,  when 

140 


Chapter  Thirteen 


she  had  read  the  inscription;  "but  if  he  had  known  about  that 
star  I  guess  he'd  have  spent  his  time  playing  solitaire." 

"Well,  what  are  we  waiting  for?"  inquired  Shaggy,  who 
was  impatient  to  start. 

"Quox,"  replied  Tubekins.  "But  I  think  I  hear  him 
coming." 

"Is  the  young  dragon  invisible?"  asked  Ann,  who  had 
never  seen  a  live  dragon  and  was  a  little  fearful  of  meeting 
one. 

"No,  indeed,"  replied  the  King  of  the  Tube.  "You'll  see 
him  in  a  minute;  but  before  you  part  company  I'm  sure  you'll 
wish  he  was  invisible." 

"Is  he  dangerous,  then?"  questioned  Files. 

"Not  at  all.  But  Quox  tires  me  dreadfully,"  said  Tube- 
kins,  "and  I  prefer  his  room  to  his  company." 

At  that  instant  a  scraping  sound  was  heard,  drawing 
nearer  and  nearer  until  from  between  two  big  bushes 
appeared  a  huge  dragon,  who  approached  the  party,  nodded 
his  head  and  said :  "Good  morning." 

Had  Quox  been  at  all  bashful  I  am  sure  he  would  have 
felt  uncomfortable  at  the  astonished  stare  of  every  eye  in  the 
group — except  Tubekins,  of  course,  who  was  not  astonished 
because  he  had  seen  Quox  so  often. 

Betsy  had  thought  a  "young"  dragon  must  be  a  small 
dragon,  yet  here  was  one  so  enormous  that  the  girl  decided  he 

141 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


must  be  full  grown,  if  not  overgrown.  His  body  was  a  lovely 
sky-blue  in  color  and  it  was  thickly  set  with  glittering  silver 
scales,  each  one  as  big  as  a  serving-tray.  Around  his  neck  was 
a  pink  ribbon  with  a  bow  just  under  his  left  ear,  and  below 
the  ribbon  appeared  a  chain  of  pearls  to  which  was  attached 
a  golden  locket  about  as  large  around  as  the  end  of  a  bass 
drum.  This  locket  was  set  with  many  large  and  beautiful 
jewels. 

The  head  and  face  of  Quox  were  not  especially  ugly,  when 
you  consider  that  he  was  a  dragon ;  but  his  eyes  were  so  large 
that  it  took  him  a  long  time  to  wink  and  his  teeth  seemed  very 
sharp  and  terrible  when  they  showed,  which  they  did  when 
ever  the  beast  smiled.  Also  his  nostrils  were  quite  large  and 
wide,  and  those  who  stood  near  him  were  liable  to  smell  brim 
stone — especially  when  he  breathed  out  fire,  as  it  is  the  nature 
of  dragons  to  do.  To  the  end  of  his  long  tail  was  attached  a 
big  electric  light. 

Perhaps  the  most  singular  thing  about  the  dragon's 
appearance  at  this  time  was  the  fact  that  he  had  a  row  of  seats 
attached  to  his  back,  one  seat  for  each  member  of  the  party. 
These  seats  were  double,  with  curved  backs,  so  that  two  could 
sit  in  them,  and  there  were  twelve  of  these  double  seats,  all 
strapped  firmly  around  the  dragon's  thick  body  and  placed 
one  behind  the  other,  in  a  row  that  extended  from  his  shoul 
ders  nearly  to  his  tail. 

142 


Chapter  Thirteen 


"Aha!"  exclaimed  Tubekins;  "I  see  that  Tititi-Hoochoo 
has  transformed  Quox  into  a  carryall." 

"I'm  glad  of  that/5  said  Betsy.  "I  hope,  Mr.  Dragon,  you 
won't  mind  our  riding  on  your  back." 

"Not  a  bit,"  replied  Quox.  "I'm  in  disgrace  just  now,  you 
know,  and  the  only  way  to  redeem  my  good  name  is  to  obey 
the  orders  of  the  Jinjin.  If  he  makes  me  a  beast  of  burden, 
it  is  only  a  part  of  my  punishment,  and  I  must  bear  it  like  a 
dragon.  I  don't  blame  you  people  at  all,  and  I  hope  you'll 
enjoy  the  ride.  Hop  on,  please.  All  aboard  for  the  other  side 
of  the  world!" 

Silently  they  took  their  places.  Hank  sat  in  the  front  seat 
with  Betsy,  so  that  he  could  rest  his  front  hoofs  upon  the 
dragon's  head.  Behind  them  were  Shaggy  and  Polychrome, 
then  Files  and  the  Princess,  and  Queen  Ann  and  Tik-Tok. 
The  officers  rode  in  the  rear  seats.  When  all  had  mounted  to 
their  places  the  dragon  looked  very  like  one  of  those  sight 
seeing  wagons  so  common  in  big  cities — only  he  had  legs 
instead  of  wheels. 

"All  ready?"  asked  Quox,  and  when  they  said  they  were 
he  crawled  to  the  mouth  of  the  Tube  and  put  his  head  in. 

"Good-bye,  and  good  luck  to  you!"  called  Tubekins;  but 
no  one  thought  to  reply,  because  just  then  the  dragon  slid  his 
great  body  into  the  Tube  and  the  journey  to  the  other  side  of 
the  world  had  begun. 

143 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


At  first  they  went  so  fast  that  they  could  scarcely  catch 
their  breaths,  but  presently  Quox  slowed  up  and  said  with  a 
sort  of  cackling  laugh : 

"My  scales!  but  that  is  some  tumble.  I  think  I  shall  take 
it  easy  and  fall  slower,  or  I'm  likely  to  get  dizzy.  Is  it  very 
far  to  the  other  side  of  the  world?" 

"Haven't  you  ever  been  through  this  Tube  before?" 
inquired  Shaggy. 

"Never.  Nor  has  anyone  else  in  our  country;  at  least,  not 
since  I  was  born." 

"How  long  ago  was  that?"  asked  Betsy. 

"That  I  was  born?  Oh,  not  very  long  ago.  I'm  only  a 
mere  child.  If  I  had  not  been  sent  on  this  journey,  I  would 
have  celebrated  my  three  thousand  and  fifty-sixth  birthday 
next  Thursday.  Mother  was  going  to  make  me  a  birthday 
cake  with  three  thousand  and  fifty-six  candles  on  it;  but  now, 
of  course,  there  will  be  no  celebration,  for  I  fear  I  shall  not 
get  home  in  time  for  it." 

"Three  thousand  and  fifty-six  years !"  cried  Betsy.  "Why, 
I  had  no  idea  anything  could  live  that  long!" 

"My  respected  Ancestor,  whom  I  would  call  a  stupid  old 
humbug  if  I  had  not  reformed,  is  so  old  that  I  am  a  mere  baby 
compared  with  him,"  said  Quox.  "He  dates  from  the  begin 
ning  of  the  world,  and  insists  on  telling  us  stories  of  things 
that  happened  fifty  thousand  years  ago,  which  are  of  no  inter- 

144 


Chapter  Thirteen 


est  at  all  to  youngsters  like  me.  In  fact,  Grandpa  isn't  up  to 
date.  He  lives  altogether  in  the  past,  so  I  can't  see  any  good 
reason  for  his  being  alive  to-day.  .  .  .  Are  you  people  able 
to  see  your  way,  or  shall  I  turn  on  more  light?" 

"Oh,  we  can  see  very  nicely,  thank  you;  only  there's 
nothing  to  see  but  ourselves,"  answered  Betsy. 

This  was  true.  The  dragon's  big  eyes  were  like  head 
lights  on  an  automobile  and  illuminated  the  Tube  far  ahead 
of  them.  Also  he  curled  his  tail  upward  so  that  the  electric 
light  on  the  end  of  it  enabled  them  to  see  one  another  quite 
clearly.  But  the  Tube  itself  was  only  dark  metal,  smooth  as 
glass  but  exactly  the  same  from  one  of  its  ends  to  the  other. 
Therefore  there  was  no  scenery  of  interest  to  beguile  the 
journey. 

They  were  now  falling  so  gently  that  the  trip  was  proving 
entirely  comfortable,  as  the  Jinjin  had  promised  it  would  be; 
but  this  meant  a  longer  journey  and  the  only  way  they  could 
make  time  pass  was  to  engage  in  conversation.  The 
dragon  seemed  a  willing  and  persistent  talker  and  he  was  of 
so  much  interest  to  them  that  they  encouraged  him  to  chatter. 
His  voice  was  a  little  gruff  but  not  unpleasant  when  one 
became  used  to  it. 

"My  only  fear,"  said  he  presently,  "is  that  this  constant 
sliding  over  the  surface  of  the  Tube  will  dull  my  claws.  You 
see,  this  hole  isn't  straight  down,  but  on  a  steep  slant,  and  so 

H5 


Tik~Tok  of  Oz 


instead  of  tumbling  freely  through  the  air  I  must  skate  along 
the  Tube.  Fortunately,  there  is  a  file  in  my  tool-kit,  and  if 
my  claws  get  dull  they  can  be  sharpened  again." 

"Why  do  you  want  sharp  claws?"  asked  Betsy. 

"They  are  my  natural  weapons,  and  you  must  not  forget 
that  I  have  been  sent  to  conquer  Ruggedo." 

"Oh,  you  needn't  mind  about  that,"  remarked  Queen  Ann, 
in  her  most  haughty  manner;  "for  when  we  get  to  Ruggedo  I 
and  my  invincible  Army  can  conquer  him  without  your 
assistance." 

"Very  good,"  returned  the  dragon,  cheerfully.  "That 
will  save  me  a  lot  of  bother — if  you  succeed.  But  I  think  I 
shall  file  my  claws,  just  the  same." 

He  gave  a  long  sigh,  as  he  said  this,  and  a  sheet  of  flame, 
several  feet  in  length,  shot  from  his  mouth.  Betsy  shuddered 
and  Hank  said  "Hee-haw!"  while  some  of  the  officers 
screamed  in  terror.  But  the  dragon  did  not  notice  that  he 
had  done  anything  unusual. 

"Is  there  fire  inside  of  you?"  asked  Shaggy. 

"Of  course,"  answered  Quox.  "What  sort  of  a  dragon 
would  I  be  if  my  fire  went  out?" 

"What  keeps  it  going?"  Betsy  inquired. 

"I've  no  idea.  I  only  know  it's  there,"  said  Quox.  "The 
fire  keeps  me  alive  and  enables  me  to  move ;  also  to  think  and 
speak." 

146 


II 


Chapter  Thirteen 


"Ah!  You  are  ver-y  much  like  my-self,"  said  Tik-Tok. 
"The  on-ly  dif-fer-ence  is  that  I  move  by  clock-work,  while 
you  move  by  fire." 

"I  don't  see  a  particle  of  likeness  between  us,  I  must  con 
fess,"  retorted  Quox,  gruffly.  "You  are  not  a  live  thing; 
you're  a  dummy." 

"But  I  can  do  things,  you  must  ad-mit,"  said  Tik-Tok. 

"Yes,  when  you  are  wound  up,"  sneered  the  dragon. 
"But  if  you  run  down,  you  are  helpless." 

"What  would  happen  to  you,  Quox,  if  you  ran  out  of 
gasoline?"  inquired  Shaggy,  who  did  not  like  this  attack 
upon  his  friend. 

"I  don't  use  gasoline." 

"Well,  suppose  you  ran  out  of  fire." 

"What's  the  use  of  supposing  that?"  asked  Quox.  "My 
great-great-great-grandfather  has  lived  since  the  world 
began,  and  he  has  never  once  run  out  of  fire  to  keep  him  going. 
But  I  will  confide  to  you  that  as  he  gets  older  he  shows  more 
smoke  and  less  fire.  As  for  Tik-Tok,  he's  well  enough  in  his 
way,  but  he's  merely  copper.  And  the  Metal  Monarch  knows 
copper  through  and  through.  I  wouldn't  be  surprised  if 
Ruggedo  melted  Tik-Tok  in  one  of  his  furnaces  and  made 
copper  pennies  of  him." 

"In  that  case,  I  would  still  keep  going,"  remarked  Tik- 
Tok,  calmly. 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"Pennies  do,"  said  Betsy  regretfully. 

"This  is  all  nonsense/'  said  the  Queen,  with  irritation. 
"Tik-Tok  is  my  great  Army — all  but  the  officers — and  I 
believe  he  will  be  able  to  conquer  Ruggedo  with  ease.  What 
do  you  think,  Polychrome*?" 

"You  might  let  him  try,"  answered  the  Rainbow's 
Daughter,  with  her  sweet  ringing  laugh,  that  sounded  like 
the  tinkling  of  tiny  bells.  "And  if  Tik-Tok  fails,  you  have 
still  the  big  fire-breathing  dragon  to  fall  back  on." 

"Ah!"  said  the  dragon,  another  sheet  of  flame  gushing 
from  his  mouth  and  nostrils;  "it's  a  wise  little  girl,  this 
Polychrome.  Anyone  would  know  she  is  a  fairy." 


148 


CHAPTER  14 

The  Long-Eared  Hearer  Learns 
by  Listening 

DURING  this  time  Ruggedo,  the  Metal  Monarch  and 
King  of  the  Nomes,  was  trying  to  amuse  himself  in  his 
splendid  jeweled  cavern.  It  was  hard  work  for  Ruggedo  to 
find  amusement  to-day,  for  all  the  nomes  were  behaving  well 
and  there  was  no  one  to  scold  or  to  punish.  The  King  had 
thrown  his  sceptre  at  Kaliko  six  times,  without  hitting  him 
once.  Not  that  Kaliko  had  done  anything  wrong.  On  the 
contrary,  he  had  obeyed  the  King  in  every  way  but  one :  he 
would  not  stand  still,  when  commanded  to  do  so,  and  let  the 
heavy  sceptre  strike  him. 

We  can  hardly  blame  Kaliko  for  this,  and  even  the  cruel 
Ruggedo  forgave  him;  for  he  knew  very  well  that  if  he 

149 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


mashed  his  Royal  Chamberlain  he  could  never  find  another 
so  intelligent  and  obedient.  Kaliko  could  make  the  nomes 
work  when  their  King  could  not,  for  the  nomes  hated  Ruggedo 
and  there  were  so  many  thousands  of  the  quaint  little  under 
ground  people  that  they  could  easily  have  rebelled  and  defied 
the  King  had  they  dared  to  do  so.  Sometimes,  when  Ruggedo 
abused  them  worse  than  usual,  they  grew  sullen  and  threw 
down  their  hammers  and  picks.  Then,  however  hard  the 
King  scolded  or  whipped  them,  they  would  not  work  until 
Kaliko  came  and  begged  them  to.  For  Kaliko  was  one  of 
themselves  and  was  as  much  abused  by  the  King  as  any  nome 
in  the  vast  series  of  caverns. 

But  to-day  all  the  little  people  were  working  indus 
triously  at  their  tasks  and  Ruggedo,  having  nothing  to  do, 
was  greatly  bored.  He  sent  for  the  Long-Eared  Hearer  and 
asked  him  to  listen  carefully  and  report  what  was  going  on  in 
the  big  world. 

"It  seems,"  said  the  Hearer,  after  listening  for  awhile, 
"that  the  women  in  America  have  clubs." 

"Are  there  spikes  in  them*?"  asked  Ruggedo,  yawning. 

"I  cannot  hear  any  spikes,  Your  Majesty,"  was  the  reply. 

"Then  their  clubs  are  not  as  good  as  my  sceptre.  What 
else  do  you  hear6?" 

"There's  a  war." 

"Bah!  there's  always  a  war.    What  else?" 

150 


Chapter  Fourteen 


For  a  time  the  Hearer  was  silent,  bending  forward  and 
spreading  out  his  big  ears  to  catch  the  slightest  sound.  Then 
suddenly  he  said : 

"Here  is  an  interesting  thing,  Your  Majesty.  These 
people  are  arguing  as  to  who  shall  conquer  the  Metal 
Monarch,  seize  his  treasure  and  drive  him  from  his 
dominions." 

"What  people?"  demanded  Ruggedo,  sitting  up  straight 
in  his  throne. 

"The  ones  you  threw  down  the  Hollow  Tube." 

"Where  are  they  now?" 

"In  the  same  Tube,  and  coming  back  this  way,"  said  the 
Hearer. 

Ruggedo  got  out  of  his  throne  and  began  to  pace  up  and 
down  the  cavern. 

"I  wonder  what  can  be  done  to  stop  them,"  he  mused. 

"Well,"  said  the  Hearer,  "if  you  could  turn  the  Tube 
upside  down,  they  would  be  falling  the  other  way,  Your 
Majesty." 

Ruggedo  glared  at  him  wickedly,  for  it  was  impossible  to 
turn  the  Tube  upside  down  and  he  believed  the  Hearer  was 
slyly  poking  fun  at  him.  Presently  he  asked : 

"How  far  away  are  those  people  now?" 

"About  nine  thousand  three  hundred  and  six  miles,  seven 
teen  furlongs,  eight  feet  and  four  inches — as  nearly  as  I  can 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


judge  from  the  sound  of  their  voices/'  replied  the  Hearer. 

"Aha !  Then  it  will  be  some  time  before  they  arrive,"  said 
Ruggedo,  "and  when  they  get  here  I  shall  be  ready  to  receive 
them." 

He  rushed  to  his  gong  and  pounded  upon  it  so  fiercely 
that  Kaliko  came  bounding  into  the  cavern  with  one  shoe  off 
and  one  shoe  on,  for  he  was  just  dressing  himself  after  a  swim 
in  the  hot  bubbling  lake  of  the  Underground  Kingdom. 

"Kaliko,  those  invaders  whom  we  threw  down  the  Tube 
are  coming  back  again!"  he  exclaimed. 

"I  thought  they  would,"  said  the  Royal  Chamberlain, 
pulling  on  the  other  shoe.  "Tititi-Hoochoo  would  not  allow 
them  to  remain  in  his  kingdom,  of  course,  and  so  I've  been 
expecting  them  back  for  some  time.  That  was  a  very  foolish 
action  of  yours,  Rug." 

"What,  to  throw  them  down  the  Tube?" 

"Yes.  Tititi-Hoochoo  has  forbidden  us  to  throw  even 
rubbish  into  the  Tube." 

"Pooh!  what  do  I  care  for  the  Jinjin?"  asked  Ruggedo 
scornfully.  "He  never  leaves  his  own  kingdom,  which  is  on 
the  other  side  of  the  world." 

"True;  but  he  might  send  some  one  through  the  Tube  to 
punish  you,"  suggested  Kaliko. 

"Fd  like  to  see  him  do  it !  Who  could  conquer  my  thou 
sands  of  nomes?" 

152 


Chapter  Fourteen 


"Why,  they've  been  conquered  before,  if  I  remember 
aright,"  answered  Kaliko  with  a  grin.  "Once  I  saw  you  run 
ning  from  a  little  girl  named  Dorothy,  and  her  friends,  as  if 
you  were  really  afraid." 

"Well,  I  was  afraid,  that  time,"  admitted  the  Nome  King, 
with  a  deep  sigh,  "for  Dorothy  had  a  Yellow  Hen  that 
laid  eggs!" 

The  King  shuddered  as  he  said  "eggs,"  and  Kaliko  also 
shuddered,  and  so  did  the  Long-Eared  Hearer;  for  eggs  are 
the  only  things  that  the  nomes  greatly  dread.  The  reason  for 
this  is  that  eggs  belong  on  the  earth's  surface,  where  birds  and 
fowl  of  all  sorts  live,  and  there  is  something  about  a  hen's 
egg,  especially,  that  fills  a  nome  with  horror.  If  by  chance 
the  inside  of  an  egg  touches  one  of  these  underground  people, 
he  withers  up  and  blows  away  and  that  is  the  end  of  him — 
unless  he  manages  quickly  to  speak  a  magical  word  which 
only  a  few  of  the  nomes  know.  Therefore  Ruggedo  and  his 
followers  had  very  good  cause  to  shudder  at  the  mere  mention 
of  eggs. 

"But  Dorothy,"  said  the  King,  "is  not  with  this  band  of 
invaders ;  nor  is  the  Yellow  Hen.  As  for  Tititi-Hoochoo,  he 
has  no  means  of  knowing  that  we  are  afraid  of  eggs." 

"You  mustn't  be  too  sure  of  that,"  Kaliko  warned  him. 
"Tititi-Hoochoo  knows  a  great  many  things,  being  a  fairy, 
and  his  powers  are  far  superior  to  any  we  can  boast." 

153 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


Ruggedo  shrugged  impatiently  and  turned  to  the  Hearer. 

"Listen,"  said  he,  "and  tell  me  if  you  hear  any  eggs  com 
ing  through  the  Tube." 

The  Long-Eared  one  listened  and  then  shook  his  head. 
But  Kaliko  laughed  at  the  King. 

"No  one  can  hear  an  egg,  Your  Majesty,"  said  he.  "The 
only  way  to  discover  the  truth  is  to  look  through  the  Magic 
Spyglass." 

"That's  it!"  cried  the  King.  "Why  didn't  I  think  of  it 
before?  Look  at  once,  Kaliko!" 

So  Kaliko  went  to  the  Spyglass  and  by  uttering  a  mumbled 
charm  he  caused  the  other  end  of  it  to  twist  around,  so  that 
it  pointed  down  the  opening  of  the  Tube.  Then  he  put  his 
eye  to  the  glass  and  was  able  to  gaze  along  all  the  turns  and 
windings  of  the  Magic  Spyglass  and  then  deep  into  the  Tube, 
to  where  our  friends  were  at  that  time  falling. 

"Dear  me!"  he  exclaimed.    "Here  comes  a  dragon." 

"A  big  one?"  asked  Ruggedo. 

"A  monster.  He  has  an  electric  light  on  the  end  of  his  tail, 
so  I  can  see  him  very  plainly.  And  the  other  people  are  all 
riding  upon  his  back." 

"How  about  the  eggs?"  inquired  the  King. 

Kaliko  looked  again. 

"I  can  see  no  eggs  at  all,"  said  he;  "but  I  imagine  that  the 
dragon  is  as  dangerous  as  eggs.  Probably  Tititi-Hoochoo  has 

154 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


sent  him  here  to  punish  you  for  dropping  those  strangers  into 
the  Forbidden  Tube.  I  warned  you  not  to  do  it,  Your 
Majesty." 

This  news  made  the  Nome  King  anxious.  For  a  few 
minutes  he  paced  up  and  down,  stroking  his  long  beard  and 
thinking  with  all  his  might.  After  this  he  turned  to  Kaliko 
and  said : 

"All  the  harm  a  dragon  can  do  is  to  scratch  with  his  claws 
and  bite  with  his  teeth." 

"That  is  not  all,  but  it's  quite  enough,"  returned  Kaliko 
earnestly.  "On  the  other  hand,  no  one  can  hurt  a  dragon, 
because  he's  the  toughest  creature  alive.  One  flop  of  his  huge 
tail  could  smash  a  hundred  nomes  to  pancakes,  and  with  teeth 
and  claws  he  could  tear  even  you  or  me  into  small  bits,  so  that 
it  would  be  almost  impossible  to  put  us  together  again. 
Once,  a  few  hundred  years  ago,  while  wandering  through 
some  deserted  caverns,  I  came  upon  a  small  piece  of  a  nome 
lying  on  the  rocky  floor.  I  asked  the  piece  of  nome  what  had 
happened  to  it.  Fortunately  the  mouth  was  a  part  of  this 
piece — the  mouth  and  the  left  eye — so  it  was  able  to  tell  me 
that  a  fierce  dragon  was  the  cause.  It  had  attacked  the  poor 
nome  and  scattered  him  in  every  direction,  and  as  there  was 
no  friend  near  to  collect  his  pieces  and  put  him  together,  they 
had  been  separated  for  a  great  many  years.  So  you  see,  Your 
Majesty,  it  is  not  in  good  taste  to  sneer  at  a  dragon." 

156 


Chapter  Fourteen 


The  King  had  listened  attentively  to  Kaliko.    Said  he : 

"It  will  only  be  necessary  to  chain  this  dragon  which 
Tititi-Hoochoo  has  sent  here,  in  order  to  prevent  his  reaching 
us  with  his  claws  and  teeth." 

"He  also  breathes  flames,"  Kaliko  reminded  him. 

"My  nomes  are  not  afraid  of  fire,  nor  am  I,"  said  Ruggedo. 

"Well,  how  about  the  Army  of  Oogaboo?" 

"Sixteen  cowardly  officers  and  Tik-Tok!  Why,  I  could 
defeat  them  single-handed;  but  I  won't  try  to.  I'll  summon 
my  army  of  nomes  to  drive  the  invaders  out  of  my  territory, 
and  if  we  catch  any  of  them  I  intend  to  stick  needles  into  them 
until  they  hop  with  pain." 

"I  hope  you  won't  hurt  any  of  the  girls,"  said  Kaliko. 

"I'll  hurt  'em  all!"  roared  the  angry  Metal  Monarch. 
"And  that  braying  Mule  I'll  make  into  hoof -soup,  and  feed  it 
to  my  nomes,  that  it  may  add  to  their  strength." 

"Why  not  be  good  to  the  strangers  and  release  your 
prisoner,  the  Shaggy  Man's  brother?"  suggested  Kaliko. 

"Never!" 

"It  may  save  you  a  lot  of  annoyance.  And  you  don't  want 
the  Ugly  One." 

"I  don't  want  him;  that's  true.  But  I  won't  allow  any 
body  to  order  me  around.  I'm  King  of  the  Nomes  and  I'm 
the  Metal  Monarch,  and  I  shall  do  as  I  please  and  what  I 
please  and  when  I  please!" 

157 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


With  this  speech  Ruggedo  threw  his  sceptre  at  Kaliko's 
head,  aiming  it  so  well  that  the  Royal  Chamberlain  had  to 
fall  flat  upon  the  floor  in  order  to  escape  it.  But  the  Hearer 
did  not  see  the  sceptre  coming  and  it  swept  past  his  head  so 
closely  that  it  broke  off  the  tip  of  one  of  his  long  ears.  He 
gave  a  dreadful  yell  that  quite  startled  Ruggedo,  and  the 
King  was  sorry  for  the  accident  because  those  long  ears  of  the 
Hearer  were  really  valuable  to  him. 

So  the  Nome  King  forgot  to  be  angry  with  Kaliko  and 
ordered  his  Chamberlain  to  summon  General  Guph  and  the 
army  of  nomes  and  have  them  properly  armed.  They  were 
then  to  march  to  the  mouth  of  the  Tube,  where  they  could 
seize  the  travelers  as  soon  as  they  appeared. 

4 


158 


CHAPTER  15 

The  Dragon  Defies  Danger 

ALTHOUGH  the  journey  through  the  Tube  was  longer, 
this  time,  than  before,  it  was  so  much  more  comfortable  that 
none  of  our  friends  minded  it  at  all.  They  talked  together 
most  of  the  time  and  as  they  found  the  dragon  good-natured 
and  fond  of  the  sound  of  his  own  voice  they  soon  became  well 
acquainted  with  him  and  accepted  him  as  a  companion. 

"You  see,"  said  Shaggy,  in  his  frank  way,  "Quox  is  on  our 
side,  and  therefore  the  dragon  is  a  good  fellow.  If  he  hap 
pened  to  be  an  enemy,  instead  of  a  friend,  I  am  sure  I  should 
dislike  him  very  much,  for  his  breath  smells  of  brimstone,  he 
is  very  conceited  and  he  is  so  strong  and  fierce  that  he  would 
prove  a  dangerous  foe." 

159 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"Yes,  indeed,"  returned  Quox,  who  had  listened  to  this 
speech  with  pleasure;  "I  suppose  I  am  about  as  terrible  as  any 
living  thing.  I  am  glad  you  find  me  conceited,  for  that  proves 
I  know  my  good  qualities.  As  for  my  breath  smelling  of 
brimstone,  I  really  can't  help  it,  and  I  once  met  a  man  whose 
breath  smelled  of  onions,  which  I  consider  far  worse." 

"I  don't,"  said  Betsy;  "I  love  onions." 

"And  I  love  brimstone,"  declared  the  dragon,  "so  don't 
let  us  quarrel  over  one  another's  peculiarities." 

Saying  this,  he  breathed  a  long  breath  and  shot  a  flame 
fifty  feet  from  his  mouth.  The  brimstone  made  Betsy  cough, 
but  she  remembered  about  the  onions  and  said  nothing. 

They  had  no  idea  how  far  they  had  gone  through  the 
center  of  the  earth,  nor  when  to  expect  the  trip  to  end.  At  one 
time  the  little  girl  remarked: 

"I  wonder  when  we'll  reach  the  bottom  of  this  hole.  And 
isn't  it  funny,  Shaggy  Man,  that  what  is  the  bottom  to  us 
now,  was  the  top  when  we  fell  the  other  way?" 

"What  puzzles  me,"  said  Files,  "is  that  we  are  able  to  fall 
both  ways." 

"That,"  announced  Tik-Tok,  "is  be-cause  the  world 
is  round." 

"Exactly,"  responded  Shaggy.  "The  machinery  in  your 
head  is  in  fine  working  order,  Tik-Tok.  You  know,  Betsy, 
that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  the  Attraction  of  Gravitation, 

160 


Chapter  Fifteen 


which  draws  everything  toward  the  center  of  the  earth.  That 
is  why  we  fall  out  of  bed,  and  why  everything  clings  to  the 
surface  of  the  earth." 

"Then  why  doesn't  everything  go  on  down  to  the  center  of 
the  earth?"  inquired  the  little  girl. 

"I  was  afraid  you  were  going  to  ask  me  that,"  replied 
Shaggy  in  a  sad  tone.  "The  reason,  my  dear,  is  that  the  earth 
is  so  solid  that  other  solid  things  can't  get  through  it.  But 
when  there's  a  hole,  as  there  is  in  this  case,  we  drop  right  down 
to  the  center  of  the  world." 

"Why  don't  we  stop  there?"  asked  Betsy. 

"Because  we  go  so  fast  that  we  acquire  speed  enough  to 
carry  us  right  up  to  the  other  end." 

"I  don't  understand  that,  and  it  makes  my  head  ache  to 
try  to  figure  it  out,"  she  said  after  some  thought.  "One  thing 
draws  us  to  the  center  and  another  thing  pushes  us  away  from 
it.  But—" 

"Don't  ask  me  why,  please,"  interrupted  the  Shaggy  Man. 
"If  you  can't  understand  it,  let  it  go  at  that." 

"Do  you  understand  it?"  she  inquired. 

"All  the  magic  isn't  in  fairyland,"  he  said  gravely. 
"There's  lots  of  magic  in  all  Nature,  and  you  may  see  it  as 
well  in  the  United  States,  where  you  and  I  once  lived,  as  you 
can  here." 

"I  never  did,"  she  replied. 

161 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"Because  you  were  so  used  to  it  all  that  you  didn't  realize 
it  was  magic.  Is  anything  more  wonderful  than  to  see  a 
flower  grow  and  blossom,  or  to  get  light  out  of  the  electricity 
in  the  air?  The  cows  that  manufacture  milk  for  us  must  have 
machinery  fully  as  remarkable  as  that  in  Tik-Tok' s  copper 
body,  and  perhaps  you've  noticed  that — " 

And  then,  before  Shaggy  could  finish  his  speech,  the  strong 
light  of  day  suddenly  broke  upon  them,  grew  brighter,  and 
completely  enveloped  them.  The  dragon's  claws  no  longer 
scraped  against  the  metal  Tube,  for  he  shot  into  the  open  air 
a  hundred  feet  or  more  and  sailed  so  far  away  from  the  slant 
ing  hole  that  when  he  landed  it  was  on  the  peak  of  a  mountain 
and  just  over  the  entrance  to  the  many  underground  caverns 
of  the  Nome  King. 

Some  of  the  officers  tumbled  off  their  seats  when  Quox 
struck  the  ground,  but  most  of  the  dragon's  passengers  only 
felt  a  slight  jar.  All  were  glad  to  be  on  solid  earth  again  and 
they  at  once  dismounted  and  began  to  look  about  them. 
Queerly  enough,  as  soon  as  they  had  left  the  dragon,  the  seats 
that  were  strapped  to  the  monster's  back  disappeared,  and 
this  probably  happened  because  there  was  no  further  use  for 
them  and  because  Quox  looked  far  more  dignified  in  just  his 
silver  scales.  Of  course  he  still  wore  the  forty  yards  of  ribbon 
around  his  neck,  as  well  as  the  great  locket,  but  these  only 
made  him  look  "dressed  up,"  as  Betsy  remarked. 

162 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


Now  the  army  of  nomcs  had  gathered  thickly  around  the 
mouth  of  the  Tube,  in  order  to  be  ready  to  capture  the  band 
of  invaders  as  soon  as  they  popped  out.  There  were,  indeed, 
hundreds  of  nomes  assembled,  and  they  were  led  by  Guph, 
their  most  famous  General.  But  they  did  not  expect  the 
dragon  to  fly  so  high,  and  he  shot  out  of  the  Tube  so  suddenly 
that  it  took  them  by  surprise.  When  the  nomes  had  rubbed 
the  astonishment  out  of  their  eyes  and  regained  their  wits, 
they  discovered  the  dragon  quietly  seated  on  the  mountain 
side  far  above  their  heads,  while  the  other  strangers  were 
standing  in  a  group  and  calmly  looking  down  upon  them. 

General  Guph  was  very  angry  at  the  escape,  which  was  no 
one's  fault  but  his  own. 

"Come  down  here  and  be  captured!"  he  shouted,  waving 
his  sword  at  them. 

"Come  up  here  and  capture  us — if  you  dare!"  replied 
Queen  Ann,  who  was  winding  up  the  clockwork  of  her  Private 
Soldier,  so  he  could  fight  more  briskly. 

Guph's  first  answer  was  a  roar  of  rage  at  the  defiance;  then 
he  turned  and  issued  a  command  to  his  nomes.  These  were 
all  armed  with  sharp  spears  and  with  one  accord  they  raised 
these  spears  and  threw  them  straight  at  their  foes,  so  that  they 
rushed  through  the  air  in  a  perfect  cloud  of  flying  weapons. 

Some  damage  might  have  been  done  had  not  the  dragon 
quickly  crawled  before  the  others,  his  body  being  so  big  that 

164 


Chapter  Fifteen 


it  shielded  every  one  of  them,  including  Hank.  The  spears 
rattled  against  the  silver  scales  of  Quox  and  then  fell  harm 
lessly  to  the  ground.  They  were  magic  spears,  of  course,  and 
all  straightway  bounded  back  into  the  hands  of  those  who  had 
thrown  them,  but  even  Guph  could  see  that  it  was  useless  to 
repeat  the  attack. 

It  was  now  Queen  Ann's  turn  to  attack,  so  the  Generals 
yelled  "For — ward  march!"  and  the  Colonels  and  Majors  and 
Captains  repeated  the  command  and  the  valiant  Army  of 
Oogaboo,  which  seemed  to  be  composed  mainly  of  Tik-Tok, 
marched  forward  in  single  column  toward  the  nomes,  while 
Betsy  and  Polychrome  cheered  and  Hank  gave  a  loud  "Hee 
haw!"  and  Shaggy  shouted  "Hooray!"  and  Queen  Ann 
screamed:  "At  'em,  Tik-Tok— at  'em!" 

The  nomes  did  not  await  the  Clockwork  Man's  attack  but 
in  a  twinkling  disappeared  into  the  underground  caverns. 
They  made  a  great  mistake  in  being  so  hasty,  for  Tik-Tok 
had  not  taken  a  dozen  steps  before  he  stubbed  his  copper  toe 
on  a  rock  and  fell  flat  to  the  ground,  where  he  cried :  "Pick 
me  up!  Pick  me  up!  Pick  me  up!"  until  Shaggy  and  Files 
ran  forward  and  raised  him  to  his  feet  again. 

The  dragon  chuckled  softly  to  himself  as  he  scratched  his 
left  ear  with  his  hind  claw,  but  no  one  was  paying  much 
attention  to  Quox  just  then. 

It  was  evident  to  Ann  and  her  officers  that  there  could  be 

165 


Tik~Tok  of  Oz 


no  fighting  unless  the  enemy  was  present,  and  in  order  to  find 
the  enemy  they  must  boldly  enter  the  underground  Kingdom 
of  the  nomes.  So  bold  a  step  demanded  a  council  of  war. 

"Don't  you  think  I'd  better  drop  in  on  Ruggedo  and  obey 
the  orders  of  the  Jinjin?"  asked  Quox. 

"By  no  means !"  returned  Queen  Ann.  "We  have  already 
put  the  army  of  nomes  to  flight  and  all  that  yet  remains  is  to 
force  our  way  into  those  caverns  and  conquer  the  Nome  King 
and  all  his  people.'* 

"That  seems  to  me  something  of  a  job,"  said  the  dragon, 
closing  his  eyes  sleepily.  "But  go  ahead,  if  you  like,  and  I'll 
wait  here  for  you.  Don't  be  in  any  hurry  on  my  account.  To 
one  who  lives  thousands  of  years  the  delay  of  a  few  days 
means  nothing  at  all,  and  I  shall  probably  sleep  until  the  time 
comes  for  me  to  act." 

Ann  was  provoked  at  this  speech. 

"You  may  as  well  go  back  to  Tititi-Hoochoo  now,"  she 
said,  "for  the  Nome  King  is  as  good  as  conquered  already." 

But  Quox  shook  his  head.    "No,"  said  he ;  "I'll  wait." 


166 


CHAPTER  16 

The  Naughty  Nome 

SHAGGY  MAN  had  said  nothing  during  the  conversation 
between  Queen  Ann  and  Quox,  for  the  simple  reason  that 
he  did  not  consider  the  matter  worth  an  argument.  Safe 
within  his  pocket  reposed  the  Love  Magnet,  which  had  never 
failed  to  win  every  heart.  The  nomes,  he  knew,  were  not  like 
the  heartless  Roses  and  therefore  could  be  won  to  his  side  as 
soon  as  he  exhibited  the  magic  talisman. 

Shaggy' s  chief  anxiety  had  been  to  reach  Ruggedo's  King 
dom  and  now  that  the  entrance  lay  before  him  he  was  con 
fident  he  would  be  able  to  rescue  his  lost  brother.  Let  Ann 
and  the  dragon  quarrel  as  to  who  should  conquer  the  nonies, 
if  they  liked;  Shaggy  would  let  them  try,  and  if  they  failed 

168 


Chapter  Sixteen 


he  had  the  means  of  conquest  in  his  own  pocket. 

But  Ann  was  positive  she  could  not  fail,  for  she  thought 
her  Army  could  do  anything.  So  she  called  the  officers 
together  and  told  them  how  to  act,  and  she  also  instructed 
Tik-Tok  what  to  do  and  what  to  say. 

"Please  do  not  shoot  your  gun  except  as  a  last  resort,"  she 
added,  "for  I  do  not  wish  to  be  cruel  or  to  shed  any  blood — 
unless  it  is  absolutely  necessary." 

"All  right,"  replied  Tik-Tok;  "but  I  do  not  think  Rug- 
ge-do  would  bleed  if  I  filled  him  full  of  holes  and  put  him  in 
a  ci-der  press." 

Then  the  officers  fell  in  line,  the  four  Generals  abreast 
and  then  the  four  Colonels  and  the  four  Majors  and  the  four 
Captains.  They  drew  their  glittering  swords  and  com 
manded  Tik-Tok  to  march,  which  he  did.  Twice  he  fell 
down,  being  tripped  by  the  rough  rocks,  but  when  he  struck 
the  smooth  path  he  got  along  better.  Into  the  gloomy  mouth 
of  the  cavern  entrance  he  stepped  without  hesitation,  and 
after  him  proudly  pranced  the  officers  and  Queen  Ann.  The 
others  held  back  a  little,  waiting  to  see  what  would  happen. 

Of  course  the  Nome  King  knew  they  were  coming  and  was 
prepared  to  receive  them.  Just  within  the  rocky  passage  that 
led  to  the  jeweled  throne-room  was  a  deep  pit,  which  was 
usually  covered.  Ruggedo  had  ordered  the  cover  removed 
and  it  now  stood  open,  scarcely  visible  in  the  gloom. 

169 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


The  pit  was  so  large  around  that  it  nearly  filled  the 
passage  and  there  was  barely  room  for  one  to  walk  around  it 
by  pressing  close  to  the  rock  walls.  This  Tik-Tok  did,  for 
his  copper  eyes  saw  the  pit  clearly  and  he  avoided  it;  but  the 
officers  marched  straight  into  the  hole  and  tumbled  in  a  heap 
on  the  bottom.  An  instant  later  Queen  Ann  also  walked  into 
the  pit,  for  she  had  her  chin  in  the  air  and  was  careless  where 
she  placed  her  feet.  Then  one  of  the  nomes  pulled  a  lever 
which  replaced  the  cover  on  the  pit  and  made  the  officers  of 
Oogaboo  and  their  Queen  fast  prisoners. 

As  for  Tik-Tok,  he  kept  straight  on  to  the  cavern  where 
Ruggedo  sat  in  his  throne  and  there  he  faced  the  Nome  King 
and  said : 

"I  here-by  con-quer  you  in  the  name  of  Queen  Ann 
So-f orth  of  Oo-ga-boo,  whose  Ar-my  I  am,  and  I  de-clare  that 
you  are  her  pris-on-er!" 

Ruggedo  laughed  at  him. 

"Where  is  this  famous  Queen?"  he  asked. 

"She'll  be  here  in  a  min-ute,"  said  Tik-Tok.  "Per-haps 
she  stopped  to  tie  her  shoe-string." 

"Now,  see  here,  Tik-Tok,"  began  the  Nome  King,  in  a 
stern  voice,  "I've  had  enough  of  this  nonsense.  Your  Queen 
and  her  officers  are  all  prisoners,  having  fallen  into  my 
power,  so  perhaps  you'll  tell  me  what  you  mean  to  do." 

"My  or-ders  were  to  con-quer  you,"  replied  Tik-Tok, 

170 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"and  my  ma-chin-er-y  has  done  the  best  it  knows  how  to 
car-ry  out  those  or-ders." 

Ruggedo  pounded  on  his  gong  and  Kaliko  appeared,  fol 
lowed  closely  by  General  Guph. 

"Take  this  copper  man  into  the  shops  and  set  him  to  work 
hammering  gold,"  commanded  the  King.  "Being  run  by 
machinery  he  ought  to  be  a  steady  worker.  He  ought  never 
to  have  been  made,  but  since  he  exists  I  shall  hereafter  put 
him  to  good  use." 

"If  you  try  to  cap-ture  me,"  said  Tik-Tok,  "I  shall  fight." 

"Don't  do  that!"  exclaimed  General  Guph,  earnestly, 
"for  it  will  be  useless  to  resist  and  you  might  hurt  some  one." 

But  Tik-Tok  raised  his  gun  and  took  aim  and  not  knowing 
what  damage  the  gun  might  do  the  nomes  were  afraid  to 
face  it. 

While  he  was  thus  defying  the  Nome  King  and  his  high 
officials,  Betsy  Bobbin  rode  calmly  into  the  royal  cavern, 
seated  upon  the  back  of  Hank  the  mule.  The  little  girl  had 
grown  tired  of  waiting  for  "something  to  happen"  and  so  had 
come  to  see  if  Ruggedo  had  been  conquered. 

"Nails  and  nuggets!"  roared  the  King;  "how  dare  you 
bring  that  beast  here  and  enter  my  presence  unannounced?" 

"There  wasn't  anybody  to  announce  me,"  replied  Betsy. 
"I  guess  your  folks  were  all  busy.  Are  you  conquered  yet?" 

"No!"  shouted  the  King,  almost  beside  himself  with  rage. 

172 


Chapter  Sixteen 


"Then  please  give  me  something  to  eat,  for  I'm  awful 
hungry,"  said  the  girl.  "You  see,  this  conquering  business  is 
a  good  deal  like  waiting  for  a  circus  parade ;  it  takes  a  long 
time  to  get  around  and  don't  amount  to  much  anyhow/' 

The  nomes  were  so  much  astonished  at  this  speech  that  for 
a  time  they  could  only  glare  at  her  silently,  not  finding  words 
to  reply.  The  King  finally  recovered  the  use  of  his  tongue 
and  said : 

"Earth-crawler!  this  insolence  to  my  majesty  shall  be 
your  death-warrant.  You  are  an  ordinary  mortal,  and  to  stop 
a  mortal  from  living  is  so  easy  a  thing  to  do  that  I  will  not 
keep  you  waiting  half  so  long  as  you  did  for  my  conquest." 

"I'd  rather  you  wouldn't  stop  me  from  living,"  remarked 
Betsy,  getting  off  Hank's  back  and  standing  beside  him. 
"And  it  would  be  a  pretty  cheap  King  who  killed  a  visitor 
while  she  was  hungry.  If  you'll  give  me  something  to  eat, 
I'll  talk  this  killing  business  over  with  you  afterward;  only, 
I  warn  you  now  that  I  don't  approve  of  it,  and  never  will." 

Her  coolness  and  lack  of  fear  impressed  the  Nome  King, 
although  he  bore  an  intense  hatred  toward  all  mortals. 

"What  do  you  wish  to  eat?"  he  asked  gruffly. 

"Oh,  a  ham-sandwich  would  do,  or  perhaps  a  couple  of 
hard-boiled  eggs — " 

"Eggs!"  shrieked  the  three  nomes  who  were  present,  shud 
dering  till  their  teeth  chattered. 

173 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"What's  the  matter?"  asked  Betsy  wonderingly.  "Are 
eggs  as  high  here  as  they  are  at  home?" 

"Guph,"  said  the  King  in  an  agitated  voice,  turning  to  his 
General,  "let  us  destroy  this  rash  mortal  at  once!  Seize  her 
and  take  her  to  the  Slimy  Cave  and  lock  her  in." 

Guph  glanced  at  Tik-Tok,  whose  gun  was  still  pointed, 
but  just  then  Kaliko  stole  softly  behind  the  copper  man  and 
kicked  his  knee-joints  so  that  they  suddenly  bent  forward  and 
tumbled  Tik-Tok  to  the  floor,  his  gun  falling  from  his  grasp. 

Then  Guph,  seeing  Tik-Tok  helpless,  made  a  grab  at 
Betsy.  At  the  same  time  Hank's  heels  shot  out  and  caught 
the  General  just  where  his  belt  was  buckled.  He  rose  into  the 
air  swift  as  a  cannon-ball,  struck  the  Nome  King  fairly  and 
flattened  his  Majesty  against  the  wall  of  rock  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  cavern.  Together  they  fell  to  the  floor  in  a  dazed 
and  crumpled  condition,  seeing  which  Kaliko  whispered  to 
Betsy: 

"Come  with  me — quick! — and  I  will' save  you." 

She  looked  into  Kaliko's  face  inquiringly  and  thought  he 
seemed  honest  and  good-natured,  so  she  decided  to  follow 
him.  He  led  her  and  the  mule  through  several  passages  and 
into  a  small  cavern  very  nicely  and  comfortably  furnished. 

"This  is  my  own  room,"  said  he,  "but  you  are  quite  wel 
come  to  use  it.  Wait  here  a  minute  and  I'll  get  you  some 
thing  to  eat." 

174 


Chapter  Sixteen 


When  Kaliko  returned  he  brought  a  tray  containing  some 
broiled  mushrooms,  a  loaf  of  mineral  bread  and  some 
petroleum-butter.  The  butter  Betsy  could  not  eat,  but  the 
bread  was  good  and  the  mushrooms  delicious. 

"Here's  the  door  key,"  said  Kaliko,  "and  you'd  better 
lock  yourself  in." 

"Won't  you  let  Polychrome  and  the  Rose  Princess  come 
here,  too?"  she  asked. 

"I'll  see.    Where  are  they?" 

"I  don't  know.    I  left  them  outside,"  said  Betsy. 

"Well,  if  you  hear  three  raps  on  the  door,  open  it,"  said 
Kaliko;  "but  don't  let  anyone  in  unless  they  give  the  three 
raps." 

"All  right,"  promised  Betsy,  and  when  Kaliko  left  the 
cosy  cavern  she  closed  and  locked  the  door. 

In  the  meantime  Ann  and  her  officers,  finding  themselves 
prisoners  in  the  pit,  had  shouted  and  screamed  until  they  were 
tired  out,  but  no  one  had  come  to  their  assistance.  It  was  very 
dark  and  damp  in  the  pit  and  they  could  not  climb  out  because 
the  walls  were  higher  than  their  heads  and  the  cover  was  on. 
The  Queen  was  first  angry  and  then  annoyed  and  then  dis 
couraged;  but  the  officers  were  only  afraid.  Every  one  of  the 
poor  fellows  heartily  wished  he  was  back  in  Oogaboo  caring 
for  his  orchard,  and  some  were  so  unhappy  that  they  began  to 
reproach  Ann  for  causing  them  all  this  trouble  and  danger. 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


Finally  the  Queen  sat  down  on  the  bottom  of  the  pit  and 
leaned  her  back  against  the  wall.  By  good  luck  her  sharp 
elbow  touched  a  secret  spring  in  the  wall  and  a  big  flat  rock 
swung  inward.  Ann  fell  over  backward,  but  the  next  instant 
she  jumped  up  and  cried  to  the  others: 

"A  passage !  A  passage !  Follow  me,  my  brave  men,  and 
we  may  yet  escape." 

Then  she  began  to  crawl  through  the  passage,  which  was  as 
dark  and  dank  as  the  pit,  and  the  officers  followed  her  in 
single  file.  They  crawled,  and  they  crawled,  and  they  kept  on 
crawling,  for  the  passage  was  not  big  enough  to  allow  them 
to  stand  upright.  It  turned  this  way  and  twisted  that,  some 
times  like  a  corkscrew  and  sometimes  zigzag,  but  seldom  ran 
for  long  in  a  straight  line. 

"It  will  never  end — never !"  moaned  the  officers,  who  were 
rubbing  all  the  skin  off  their  knees  on  the  rough  rooks. 

"It  must  end/'  retorted  Ann  courageously,  "or  it  never 
would  have  been  made.  We  don't  know  where  it  will  lead  us 
to,  but  any  place  is  better  than  that  loathsome  pit." 

So  she  crawled  on,  and  the  officers  crawled  on,  and  while 
they  were  crawling  through  this  awful  underground  passage 
Polychrome  and  Shaggy  and  Files  and  the  Rose  Princess,  who 
were  standing  outside  the  entrance  to  Ruggedo's  domains, 
were  wondering  what  had  become  of  them. 

176 


CHAPTER  17 

A  Tragic  Transformation 

"DON'T  let  us  worry,"  said  Shaggy  to  his  companions,  "for 
it  may  take  the  Queen  some  time  to  conquer  the  Metal 
Monarch,  as  Tik-Tok  has  to  do  everything  in  his  slow, 
mechanical  way." 

"Do  you  suppose  they  are  likely  to  fail?"  asked  the  Rose 
Princess. 

"I  do,  indeed,"  replied  Shaggy.  "This  Nome  King  is 
really  a  powerful  fellow  and  has  a  legion  of  nomes  to  assist 
him,  whereas  our  bold  Queen  commands  a  Clockwork  Man 
and  a  band  of  faint-hearted  officers." 

"She  ought  to  have  let  Quox  do  the  conquering,"  said 
Polychrome,  dancing  lightly  upon  a  point  of  rock  and  flut- 

177 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


tering  her  beautiful  draperies.  "But  perhaps  the  dragon  was 
wise  to  let  her  go  first,  for  when  she  fails  to  conquer  Ruggedo 
she  may  become  more  modest  in  her  ambitions." 

"Where  is  the  dragon  now?"  inquired  Ozga. 

"Up  there  on  the  rocks,"  replied  Files.  "Look,  my  dear; 
you  may  see  him  from  here.  He  said  he  would  take  a  little 
nap  while  we  were  mixing  up  with  Ruggedo,  and  he  added 
that  after  we  had  gotten  into  trouble  he  would  wake  up  and 
conquer  the  Nome  King  in  a  jiffy,  as  his  master  the  Jinjin 
has  ordered  him  to  do." 

"Quox  means  well,"  said  Shaggy,  "but  I  do  not  think  we 
shall  need  his  services;  for  just  as  soon  as  I  am  satisfied  that 
Queen  Ann  and  her  army  have  failed  to  conquer  Ruggedo. 
I  shall  enter  the  caverns  and  show  the  King  my  Love  Magnet. 
That  he  cannot  resist;  therefore  the  conquest  will  be  made 
with  ease." 

This  speech  of  Shaggy  Man's  was  overheard  by  the  Long- 
Eared  Hearer,  who  was  at  that  moment  standing  by  Rug 
gedo' s  side.  For  when  the  King  and  Guph  had  recovered  from 
Hank's  kick  and  had  picked  themselves  up,  their  first  act  was 
to  turn  Tik-Tok  on  his  back  and  put  a  heavy  diamond  on  top 
of  him,  so  that  he  could  not  get  up  again.  Then  they  carefully 
put  his  gun  in  a  corner  of  the  cavern  and  the  King  sent  Guph 
to  fetch  the  Long-Eared  Hearer. 

The  Hearer  was  still  angry  at  Ruggedo  for  breaking  his 

178 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


ear,  but  he  acknowledged  the  Nome  King  to  be  his  master 
and  was  ready  to  obey  his  commands.  Therefore  he  repeated 
Shaggy' s  speech  to  the  King,  who  at  once  realized  that  his 
Kingdom  was  in  grave  danger.  For  Ruggedo  knew  of  the 
Love  Magnet  and  its  powers  and  was  horrified  at  the  thought 
that  Shaggy  might  show  him  the  magic  talisman  and  turn  all 
the  hatred  in  his  heart  into  love.  Ruggedo  was  proud  of  his 
hatred  and  abhorred  love  of  any  sort. 

"Really,"  said  he,  "I'd  rather  be  conquered  and  lose  my 
wealth  and  my  Kingdom  than  gaze  at  that  awful  Love 
Magnet.  What  can  I  do  to  prevent  the  Shaggy  Man  from 
taking  it  out  of  his  pocket?" 

Kaliko  returned  to  the  cavern  in  time  to  overhear  this 
question,  and  being  a  loyal  nome  and  eager  to  serve  his  King, 
he  answered  by  saying : 

"If  we  can  manage  to  bind  the  Shaggy  Man's  arms,  tight 
to  his  body,  he  could  not  get  the  Love  Magnet  out  of  his 
pocket. 

"True!"  cried  the  King  in  delight  at  this  easy  solution  of 
the  problem.  "Get  at  once  a  dozen  nomes,  with  ropes,  and 
place  them  in  the  passage  where  they  can  seize  and  bind 
Shaggy  as  soon  as  he  enters." 

This  Kaliko  did,  and  meanwhile  the  watchers  outside  the 
entrance  were  growing  more  and  more  uneasy  about  their 
friends. 

180 


Chapter  Seventeen 


"I  don't  worry  so  much  about  the  Oogaboo  people,"  said 
Polychrome,  who  had  grown  sober  with  waiting,  and  perhaps 
a  little  nervous,  "for  they  could  not  be  killed,  even  though 
Ruggedo  might  cause  them  much  suffering  and  perhaps 
destroy  them  utterly.  But  we  should  not  have  allowed  Betsy 
and  Hank  to  go  alone  into  the  caverns.  The  little  girl  is 
mortal  and  possesses  no  magic  powers  whatever,  so  if  Rug 
gedo  captures  her  she  will  be  wholly  at  his  mercy." 

'That  is  indeed  true,"  replied  Shaggy.  "I  wouldn't  like 
to  have  anything  happen  to  dear  little  Betsy,  so  I  believe  I'll 
go  in  right  away  and  put  an  end  to  all  this  worry." 

"We  may  as  well  go  with  you,"  asserted  Files,  "for  by 
means  of  the  Love  Magnet  you  can  soon  bring  the  Nome  King 


to  reason.' 


So  it  was  decided  to  wait  no  longer.  Shaggy  walked 
through  the  entrance  first,  and  after  him  came  the  others. 
They  had  no  thought  of  danger  to  themselves,  and  Shaggy, 
who  was  going  along  with  his  hands  thrust  into  his  pockets, 
was  much  surprised  when  a  rope  shot  out  from  the  darkness 
and  twined  around  his  body,  pinning  down  his  arms  so 
securely  that  he  could  not  even  withdraw  his  hands  from  the 
pockets.  Then  appeared  several  grinning  nomes,  who 
speedily  tied  knots  in  the  ropes  and  then  led  the  prisoner 
along  the  passage  to  the  cavern.  No  attention  was  paid  to 
the  others,  but  Files  and  the  Princess  followed  on  after 

181 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


Shaggy,  determined  not  to  desert  their  friend  and  hoping  that 
an  opportunity  might  arise  to  rescue  him. 

As  for  Polychrome,  as  soon  as  she  saw  that  trouble  had 
overtaken  Shaggy  she  turned  and  ran  lightly  back  through 
the  passage  and  out  of  the  entrance.  Then  she  easily  leaped 
from  rock  to  rock  until  she  paused  beside  the  great  dragon, 
who  lay  fast  asleep. 

"Wake  up,  Quox!"  she  cried.    "It  is  time  for  you  to  act." 

But  Quox  did  not  wake  up.  He  lay  as  one  in  a  trance, 
absolutely  motionless,  with  his  enormous  eyes  tight  closed. 
The  eyelids  had  big  silver  scales  on  them,  like  all  the  rest  of 
his  body. 

Polychrome  might  have  thought  Quox  was  dead  had  she 
not  known  that  dragons  do  not  die  easily  or  had  she  not 
observed  his  huge  body  swelling  as  he  breathed.  She  picked 
up  a  piece  of  rock  and  pounded  against  his  eyelids  with  it, 
saying  : 

"Wake  up,  Quox — wake  up !"    But  he  would  not  waken. 

"Dear  me,  how  unfortunate!"  sighed  the  lovely  Rain 
bow's  Daughter.  "I  wonder  what  is  the  best  and  surest  way 
to  waken  a  dragon.  All  our  friends  may  be  captured  and 
destroyed  while  this  great  beast  lies  asleep." 

She  walked  around  Quox  two  or  three  times,  trying  to 
discover  some  tender  place  on  his  body  where  a  thump  or 
a  punch  might  be  felt;  but  he  lay  extended  along  the  rocks 

182 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


with  his  chin  flat  upon  the  ground  and  his  legs  drawn  under 
neath  his  body,  and  all  that  one  could  see  was  his  thick  sky- 
blue  skin — thicker  than  that  of  a  rhinoceros — and  his  silver 
scales. 

Then,  despairing  at  last  of  wakening  the  beast,  and  wor 
ried  over  the  fate  of  her  friends,  Polychrome  again  ran  down 
to  the  entrance  and  hurried  along  the  passage  into  the  Nome 
King's  cavern. 

Here  she  found  Ruggedo  lolling  in  his  throne  and  smoking 
a  long  pipe.  Beside  him  stood  General  Guph  and  Kaliko, 
and  ranged  before  the  King  were  the  Rose  Princess,  Files  and 
the  Shaggy  Man.  Tik-Tok  still  lay  upon  the  floor,  weighted 
down  by  the  big  diamond. 

Ruggedo  was  now  in  a  more  contented  frame  of  mind. 
One  by  one  he  had  met  the  invaders  and  easily  captured  them. 
The  dreaded  Love  Magnet  was  indeed  in  Shaggy's  pocket, 
only  a  few  feet  away  from  the  King,  but  Shaggy  was  power 
less  to  show  it  and  unless  Ruggedo's  eyes  beheld  the  talisman 
it  could  not  affect  him.  As  for  Betsy  Bobbin  and  her  mule,  he 
believed  Kaliko  had  placed  them  in  the  Slimy  Cave,  while 
Ann  and  her  officers  he  thought  safely  imprisoned  in  the  pit. 
Ruggedo  had  no  fear  of  Files  or  Ozga,  but  to  be  on  the  safe 
side  he  had  ordered  golden  handcuffs  placed  upon  their  wrists. 
These  did  not  cause  them  any  great  annoyance  but  prevented 
them  from  making  an  attack,  had  they  been  inclined  to  do  so. 

184 


Chapter  Seventeen 


The  Nome  King,  thinking  himself  wholly  master  of  the 
situation,  was  laughing  and  jeering  at  his  prisoners  when 
Polychrome,  exquisitely  beautiful  and  dancing  like  a  ray  of 
light,  entered  the  cavern. 

"Oho!"  cried  the  King;  "a  Rainbow  under  ground,  eh?" 
and  then  he  stared  hard  at  Polychrome,  and  still  harder,  and 
then  he  sat  up  and  pulled  the  wrinkles  out  of  his  robe  and 
arranged  his  whiskers.  "On  my  word,"  said  he,  "you  are  a 
very  captivating  creature;  moreover,  I  perceive  you  are  a 
fairy." 

"I  am  Polychrome,  the  Rainbow's  Daughter,"  she  said 
proudly. 

"Well,"  replied  Ruggedo,  "I  like  you.  The  others  I  hate. 
I  hate  everybody — but  you !  Wouldn't  you  like  to  live  always 
in  this  beautiful  cavern,  Polychrome?  See!  the  jewels  that 
stud  the  walls  have  every  tint  and  color  of  your  Rainbow — 
and  they  are  not  so  elusive.  I'll  have  fresh  dewdrops  gathered 
for  your  feasting  every  day  and  you  shall  be  Queen  of  all  my 
nomes  and  pull  Kaliko's  nose  whenever  you  like." 

"No,  thank  you,"  laughed  Polychrome.  "My  home  is  in 
the  sky,  and  I'm  only  on  a  visit  to  this  solid,  sordid  earth.  But 
tell  me,  Ruggedo,  why  my  friends  have  been  wound  with 
cords  and  bound  with  chains?" 

"They  threatened  me,"  answered  Ruggedo.  "The  fools 
did  not  know  how  powerful  I  am.' 


9) 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"Then,  since  they  are  now  helpless,  why  not  release  them 
and  send  them  back  to  the  earth's  surface?" 

"Because  I  hate  'em  and  mean  to  make  'em  suffer  for  their 
invasion.  But  I'll  make  a  bargain  with  you,  sweet  Polly. 
Remain  here  and  live  with  me  and  I'll  set  all  these  people  free. 
You  shall  be  my  daughter  or  my  wife  or  my  aunt  or  grand 
mother — whichever  you  like — only  stay  here  to  brighten  my 
gloomy  kingdom  and  make  me  happy!" 

Polychrome  looked  at  him  wonderingly.  Then  she  turned 
to  Shaggy  and  asked : 

"Are  you  sure  he  hasn't  seen  the  Love  Magnet?" 

"I'm  positive,"  answered  Shaggy.  "But  you  seem  to  be 
something  of  a  Love  Magnet  yourself,  Polychrome." 

She  laughed  again  and  said  to  Ruggedo:  "Not  even  to 
rescue  my  friends  would  I  live  in  your  kingdom.  Nor  could 
I  endure  for  long  the  society  of  such  a  wicked  monster  as  you." 

"You  forget,"  retorted  the  King,  scowling  darkly,  "that 
you  also  are  in  my  power." 

"Not  so,  Ruggedo.  The  Rainbow's  Daughter  is  beyond 
the  reach  of  your  spite  or  malice." 

"Seize  her!"  suddenly  shouted  the  King,  and  General 
Guph  sprang  forward  to  obey.  Polychrome  stood  quite  still, 
yet  when  Guph  attempted  to  clutch  her  his  hands  met  in  air, 
and  now  the  Rainbow's  Daughter  was  in  another  part  of  the 
room,  as  smiling  and  composed  as  before. 

186 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


Several  times  Guph  endeavored  to  capture  her  and  Rug- 
gedo  even  came  down  from  his  throne  to  assist  his  General ; 
but  never  could  they  lay  hands  upon  the  lovely  sky  fairy,  who 
flitted  here  and  there  with  the  swiftness  of  light  and  con 
stantly  defied  them  with  her  merry  laughter  as  she  evaded 
their  efforts. 

So  after  a  time  they  abandoned  the  chase  and  Ruggedo 
returned  to  his  throne  and  wiped  the  perspiration  from  his 
face  with  a  finely-woven  handkerchief  of  cloth-of-gold. 

"Well,"  said  Polychrome,  "what  do  you  intend  to  do 
now?" 

"I'm  going  to  have  some  fun,  to  repay  me  for  all  my 
bother,"  replied  the  Nome  King.  Then  he  said  to  Kaliko: 
"Summon  the  executioners." 

Kaliko  at  once  withdrew  and  presently  returned  with  a 
score  of  nomes,  all  of  whom  were  nearly  as  evil  looking  as  their 
hated  master.  They  bore  great  golden  pincers,  and  prods  of 
silver,  and  clamps  and  chains  and  various  wicked-looking 
instruments,  all  made  of  precious  metals  and  set  with  dia 
monds  and  rubies. 

"Now,  Pang,"  said  Ruggedo,  addressing  the  leader  of  the 
executioners,  "fetch  the  Army  of  Oogaboo  and  their  Queen 
from  the  pit  and  torture  them  here  in  my  presence — as  well  as 
in  the  presence  of  their  friends.  It  will  be  great  sport." 

"I  hear  Your  Majesty,  and  I  obey  Your  Majesty," 

188 


Chapter  Seventeen 


answered  Pang,  and  went  with  his  nomes  into  the  passage.    In 
a  few  minutes  he  returned  and  bowed  to  Ruggedo. 

"They're  all  gone,"  said  he. 

"Gone!"  exclaimed  the  Nome  King.     "Gone  where?" 

"They  left  no  address,  Your  Majesty;  but  they  are  not 
in  the  pit." 

"Picks  and  puddles!"  roared  the  King;  "who  took  the 
cover  off?" 

"No  one,"  said  Pang.  "The  cover  was  there,  but  the  pris 
oners  were  not  under  it." 

"In  that  case,"  snarled  the  King,  trying  to  control  his  dis 
appointment,  "go  to  the  Slimy  Cave  and  fetch  hither  the  girl 
and  the  donkey.  And  while  we  are  torturing  them  Kaliko 
must  take  a  hundred  nomes  and  search  for  the  escaped  pris 
oners — the  Queen  of  Oogaboo  and  her  officers.  If  he  does  not 
find  them,  I  will  torture  Kaliko." 

Kaliko  went  away  looking  sad  and  disturbed,  for  he  knew 
the  King  was  cruel  and  unjust  enough  to  carry  out  this  threat. 
Pang  and  the  executioners  also  went  away,  in  another  direc 
tion,  but  when  they  came  back  Betsy  Bobbin  was  not  with 
them,  nor  was  Hank. 

"There  is  no  one  in  the  Slimy  Cave,  Your  Majesty," 
reported  Pang. 

"Jumping  jellycakes!"  screamed  the  King.  "Another 
escape*?  Are  you  sure  you  found  the  right  cave?" 

189 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"There  is  but  one  Slimy  Cave,  and  there  is  no  one  in  it," 
returned  Pang  positively. 

Ruggedo  was  beginning  to  be  alarmed  as  well  as  angry. 
However,  these  disappointments  but  made  him  the  more  vin 
dictive  and  he  cast  an  evil  look  at  the  other  prisoners  and  said : 

"Never  mind  the  girl  and  the  donkey.  Here  are  four,  at 
least,  who  cannot  escape  my  vengeance.  Let  me  see ;  I  believe 
I'll  change  my  mind  about  Tik-Tok.  Have  the  gold  crucible 
heated  to  a  white,  seething  heat,  and  then  we'll  dump  the  cop 
per  man  into  it  and  melt  him  up." 

"But,  Your  Majesty/'  protested  Kaliko,  who  had  returned 
to  the  room  after  sending  a  hundred  nomes  to  search  for  the 
Oogaboo  people,  "you  must  remember  that  Tik-Tok  is  a  very 
curious  and  interesting  machine.  It  would  be  a  shame  to 
deprive  the  world  of  such  a  clever  contrivance/' 

"Say  another  word,  and  you'll  go  into  the  furnace  with 
him!"  roared  the  King.  "I'm  getting  tired  of  you,  Kaliko, 
and  the  first  thing  you  know  I'll  turn  you  into  a  potato  and 
make  Saratoga-chips  of  you !  The  next  to  consider,"  he  added 
more  mildly,  "is  the  Shaggy  Man.  As  he  owns  the  Love 
Magnet,  I  think  I'll  transform  him  into  a  dove,  and  then  we 
can  practice  shooting  at  him  with  Tik-Tok's  gun.  Now,  this 
is  a  very  interesting  ceremony  and  I  beg  you  all  to  watch  me 
closely  and  see  that  I've  nothing  up  my  sleeve." 

He  came  out  of  his  throne  to  stand  before  the  Shaggy 

190 


Chapter  Seventeen 


Man,  and  then  he  waved  his  hands,  palms  downward,  in  seven 
semicircles  over  his  victim's  head,  saying  in  a  low  but  clear 
tone  of  voice  the  magic  wugwa: 

"Adi,  edi,  idi,  odi,  udi,  oo-i-oo! 
Idu,  ido,  idi,  ide,  ida,  woo!" 

The  effect  of  this  well-known  sorcery  was  instantaneous. 
Instead  of  the  Shaggy  Man,  a  pretty  dove  lay  fluttering  upon 
the  floor,  its  wings  confined  by  tiny  cords  wound  around  them. 
Ruggedo  gave  an  order  to  Pang,  who  cut  the  cords  with  a  pair 
of  scissors.  Being  freed,  the  dove  quickly  flew  upward  and 
alighted  on  the  shoulder  of  the  Rose  Princess,  who  stroked  it 
tenderly. 

"Very  good!  Very  good!"  cried  Ruggedo,  rubbing  his 
hands  gleefully  together.  "One  enemy  is  out  of  my  way, 
and  now  for  the  others." 

(Perhaps  my  readers  should  be  warned  not  to  attempt  the 
above  transformation;  for,  although  the  exact  magical 
formula  has  been  described,  it  is  unlawful  in  all  civilized 
countries  for  anyone  to  transform  a  person  into  a  dove  by 
muttering  the  words  Ruggedo  used.  There  were  no  laws  to 
prevent  the  Nome  King  from  performing  this  transformation, 
but  if  it  should  be  attempted  in  any  other  country,  and  the 
magic  worked,  the  magician  would  be  severely  punished.) 

When  Polychrome  saw  Shaggy  Man  transformed  into  a 
dove  and  realized  that  Ruggedo  was  about  to  do  something 

191 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


as  dreadful  to  the  Princess  and  Files,  and  that  Tik-Tok  would 
soon  be  melted  in  a  crucible,  she  turned  and  ran  from  the 
cavern,  through  the  passage  and  back  to  the  place  where  Quox 
lay  asleep. 


192 


CHAPTER  18 

A  Clever  Conquest 

THE  great  dragon  still  had  his  eyes  closed  and  was  even 
snoring  in  a  manner  that  resembled  distant  thunder ;  but  Poly 
chrome  was  now  desperate,  because  any  further  delay  meant 
the  destruction  of  her  friends.  She  seized  the  pearl  necklace, 
to  which  was  attached  the  great  locket,  and  jerked  it  with  all 
her  strength. 

The  result  was  encouraging.  Quox  stopped  snoring  and 
his  eyelids  flickered.  So  Polychrome  jerked  again — and 
again — till  slowly  the  great  lids  raised  and  the  dragon  looked 
at  her  steadily.  Said  he,  in  a  sleepy  tone : 

"What's  the  matter,  little  Rainbow4?" 

"Come  quick !"  exclaimed  Polychrome.  "Ruggedo  has  cap- 

193 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


tured  all  our  friends  and  is  about  to  destroy  them." 

"Well,  well/'  said  Quox,  "I  suspected  that  would  happen. 
Step  a  little  out  of  my  path,  my  dear,  and  I'll  make  a  rush  for 
the  Nome  King's  cavern." 

She  fell  back  a  few  steps  and  Quox  raised  himself  on  his 
stout  legs,  whisked  his  long  tail  and  in  an  instant  had  slid 
down  the  rocks  and  made  a  dive  through  the  entrance. 

Along  the  passage  he  swept,  nearly  filling  it  with  his 
immense  body,  and  now  he  poked  his  head  into  the  jeweled 
cavern  of  Ruggedo. 

But  the  King  had  long  since  made  arrangements  to  capture 
the  dragon,  whenever  he  might  appear.  No  sooner  did  Quox 
stick  his  head  into  the  room  than  a  thick  chain  fell  from  above 
and  encircled  his  neck.  Then  the  ends  of  the  chain  were 
drawn  tight — for  in  an  adjoining  cavern  a  thousand  nomes 
were  pulling  on  them — and  so  the  dragon  could  advance  no 
further  toward  the  King.  He  could  not  use  his  teeth  or  his 
claws  and  as  his  body  was  still  in  the  passage  he  had  not  even 
room  to  strike  his  foes  with  his  terrible  tail. 

Ruggedo  was  delighted  with  the  success  of  his  strategem. 
He  had  just  transformed  the  Rose  Princess  into, a  fiddle  and 
was  about  to  transform  Files  into  a  fiddle  bow,  when  the 
dragon  appeared  to  interrupt  him.  So  he  called  out : 

'Welcome,  my  dear  Quox,  to  my  royal  entertainment. 
Since  you  are  here,  you  shall  witness  some  very  neat  magic, 

194 


Chapter  Eighteen 


and  after  I  have  finished  with  Files  and  Tik-Tok  I  mean  to 
transform  you  into  a  tiny  lizard — one  of  the  chameleon  sort — 
and  you  shall  live  in  my  cavern  and  amuse  me." 

"Pardon  me  for  contradicting  Your  Majesty,"  returned 
Quox  in  a  quiet  voice,  "but  I  don't  believe  you'll  perform 
any  more  magic." 

"Eh?    Why  not?"  asked  the  King  in  surprise. 

"There's  a  reason,"  said  Quox.  "Do  you  see  this  ribbon 
around  my  neck?" 

"Yes;  and  I'm  astonished  that  a  dignified  dragon  should 
wear  such  a  silly  thing." 

"Do  you  see  it  plainly?"  persisted  the  dragon,  with  a  little 
chuckle  of  amusement. 

"I  do,"  declared  Ruggedo. 

"Then  you  no  longer  possess  any  magical  powers,  and  are 
as  helpless  as  a  clam,"  asserted  Quox.  "My  great  master, 
Tititi-Hoochoo,  the  Jin j in,  enchanted  this  ribbon  in  such  a 
way  that  whenever  Your  Majesty  looked  upon  it  all  knowl 
edge  of  magic  would  desert  you  instantly,  nor  will  any  mag 
ical  formula  you  can  remember  ever  perform  your  bidding." 

"Pooh!  I  don't  believe  a  word  of  it!"  cried  Ruggedo, 
half  frightened,  nevertheless.  Then  he  turned  toward  Files 
and  tried  to  transform  him  into  a  fiddle  bow.  But  he  could 
not  remember  the  right  words  or  the  right  pass  of  the  hands 
and  after  several  trials  he  finally  gave  up  the  attempt. 

195 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


By  this  time  the  Nome  King  was  so  alarmed  that  he  was 
secretly  shaking  in  his  shoes. 

"I  told  you  not  to  anger  Tititi-Hoochoo,"  grumbled 
Kaliko,  "and  now  you  see  the  result  of  your  disobedience." 

Ruggedo  promptly  threw  his  sceptre  at  his  Royal  Chamber 
lain,  who  dodged  it  with  his  usual  cleverness,  and  then  he 
said  with  an  attempt  to  swagger: 

"Never  mind;  I  don't  need  magic  to  enable  me  to  destroy 
these  invaders ;  fire  and  the  sword  will  do  the  business  and  I 
am  still  King  of  the  Nomes  and  lord  and  master  of  my  Under 
ground  Kingdom!" 

"Again  I  beg  to  differ  with  Your  Majesty,"  said  Quox. 
"The  Great  Jin j  in  commands  you  to  depart  instantly  from 
this  Kingdom  and  seek  the  earth's  surface,  where  you  will 
wander  for  all  time  to  come,  without  a  home  or  country,  with 
out  a  friend  or  follower,  and  without  any  more  riches  than  you 
can  carry  with  you  in  your  pockets.  The  Great  Jin  j  in  is  so 
generous  that  he  will  allow  you  to  fill  your  pockets  with 
jewels  or  gold,  but  you  must  take  nothing  more." 

Ruggedo  now  stared  at  the  dragon  in  amazement. 

"Does  Tititi-Hoochoo  condemn  me  to  such  a  fate?"  he 
asked  in  a  hoarse  voice. 

"He  does,"  said  Quox. 

"And  just  for  throwing  a  few  strangers  down  the  Forbid 
den  Tube?" 

196 


Chapter   Eighteen 


"Just  for  that,"  repeated  Quox  in  a  stern,  gruff  voice. 

"Well,  I  won't  do  it.  And  your  crazy  old  Jinjin  can't 
make  me  do  it,  either!"  declared  Ruggedo.  "I  intend  to 
remain  here,  King  of  the  Nomes,  until  the  end  of  the  world, 
and  I  defy  your  Tititi-Hoochoo  and  all  his  fairies — as  well  as 
his  clumsy  messenger,  whom  I  have  been  obliged  to  chain  up !" 

The  dragon  smiled  again,  but  it  was  not  the  sort  of  smile 
that  made  Ruggedo  feel  very  happy.  Instead,  there  was  some 
thing  so  cold  and  merciless  in  the  dragon's  expression  that  the 
condemned  Nome  King  trembled  and  was  sick  at  heart. 

There  was  little  comfort  for  Ruggedo  in  the  fact  that  the 
dragon  was  now  chained,  although  he  had  boasted  of  it.  He 
glared  at  the  immense  head  of  Quox  as  if  fascinated  and  there 
was  fear  in  the  old  King's  eyes  as  he  watched  his  enemy's 
movements. 

For  the  dragon  was  now  moving;  not  abruptly,  but  as  if 
he  had  something  to  do  and  was  about  to  do  it.  Very  deliber 
ately  he  raised  one  claw,  touched  the  catch  of  the  great  jeweled 
locket  that  was  suspended  around  his  neck,  and  at  once  it 
opened  wide. 

Nothing  much  happened  at  first;  half  a  dozen  hen's  eggs 
rolled  out  upon  the  floor  and  then  the  locket  closed  with  a 
sharp  click.  But  the  effect  upon  the  nomes  of  this  simple  thing 
was  astounding.  General  Guph,  Kaliko,  Pang  and  his  band 
of  executioners  were  all  standing  close  to  the  door  that  led  to 

197 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


the  vast  series  of  underground  caverns  which  constituted  the 
dominions  of  the  nomes,  and  as  soon  as  they  saw  the  eggs 
they  raised  a  chorus  of  frantic  screams  and  rushed  through 
the  door,  slamming  it  in  Ruggedo's  face  and  placing  a  heavy 
bronze  bar  across  it. 

Ruggedo,  dancing  with  terror  and  uttering  loud  cries,  now 
leaped  upon  the  seat  of  his  throne  to  escape  the  eggs,  which 
had  rolled  steadily  toward  him.  Perhaps  these  eggs,  sent 
by  the  wise  and  crafty  Tititi-Hoochoo,  were  in  some  way 
enchanted,  for  they  all  rolled  directly  after  Ruggedo  and 
when  they  reached  the  throne  where  he  had  taken  refuge  they 
began  rolling  up  the  legs  to  the  seat. 

This  was  too  much  for  the  King  to  bear.  His  horror  of 
eggs  was  real  and  absolute  and  he  made  a  leap  from  the  throne 
to  the  center  of  the  room  and  then  ran  to  a  far  corner. 

The  eggs  followed,  rolling  slowly  but  steadily  in  his  direc 
tion.  Ruggedo  threw  his  sceptre  at  them,  and  then  his  ruby 
crown,  and  then  he  drew  off  his  heavy  golden  sandals  and 
hurled  these  at  the  advancing  eggs.  But  the  eggs  dodged 
every  missile  and  continued  to  draw  nearer.  The  King  stood 
trembling,  his  eyes  staring  in  terror,  until  they  were  but  half 
a  yard  distant;  then  with  an  agile  leap  he  jumped  clear  over 
them  and  made  a  rush  for  the  passage  that  led  to  the  outer 
entrance. 

Of  course  the  dragon  was  in  his  way,  being  chained  in  the 

198 


Chapter  Eighteen 


passage  with  his  head  in  the  cavern,  but  when  he  saw  the  King 
making  toward  him  he  crouched  as  low  as  he  could  and 
dropped  his  chin  to  the  floor,  leaving  a  small  space  between 
his  body  and  the  roof  of  the  passage. 

Ruggedo  did  not  hesitate  an  instant.  Impelled  by  fear, 
he  leaped  to  the  dragon's  nose  and  then  scrambled  to  his  back, 
where  he  succeeded  in  squeezing  himself  through  the  opening. 
After  the  head  was  passed  there  was  more  room  and  he  slid 
along  the  dragon's  scales  to  his  tail  and  then  ran  as  fast  as  his 
legs  would  carry  him  to  the  entrance.  Not  pausing  here,  so 
great  was  his  fright,  the  King  dashed  on  down  the  mountain 
path,  but  before  he  had  gone  very  far  he  stumbled  and  fell. 

When  he  picked  himself  up  he  observed  that  no  one  was 
following  him,  and  while  he  recovered  his  breath  he  happened 
to  think  of  the  decree  of  the  Jin j  in — that  he  should  be  driven 
from  his  Kingdom  and  made  a  wanderer  on  the  face  of  the 
earth.  Well,  here  he  was,  driven  from  his  cavern  in  truth; 
driven  by  those  dreadful  eggs;  but  he  would  go  back  and 
defy  them;  he  would  not  submit  to  losing  his  precious  King 
dom  and  his  tyrannical  powers,  all  because  Tititi-Hoochoo 
had  said  he  must. 

So,  although  still  afraid,  Ruggedo  nerved  himself  to  creep 
back  along  the  path  to  the  entrance,  and  when  he  arrived  there 
he  saw  the  six  eggs  lying  in  a  row  just  before  the  arched 
opening. 

199 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


At  first  he  paused  a  safe  distance  away  to  consider  the  case, 
for  the  eggs  were  now  motionless.  While  he  was  wondering 
what  could  be  done,  he  remembered  there  was  a  magical  charm 
which  would  destroy  eggs  and  render  them  harmless  to  nomes. 
There  were  nine  passes  to  be  made  and  six  verses  of  incanta 
tion  to  be  recited;  but  Ruggedo  knew  them  all.  Now  that  he 
had  ample  time  to  be  exact,  he  carefully  went  through  the 
entire  ceremony. 

But  nothing  happened.  The  eggs  did  not  disappear,  as 
he  had  expected;  so  he  repeated  the  charm  a  second  time. 
When  that  also  failed,  he  remembered,  with  a  moan  of 
despair,  that  his  magic  power  had  been  taken  away  from  him 
and  in  the  future  he  could  do  no  more  than  any  common 
mortal. 

And  there  were  the  eggs,  forever  barring  him  from  the 
Kingdom  which  he  had  ruled  so  long  with  absolute  sway !  He 
threw  rocks  at  them,  but  could  not  hit  a  single  egg.  He  raved 
and  scolded  and  tore  his  hair  and  beard,  and  danced  in  helpless 
passion,  but  that  did  nothing  to  avert  the  just  judgment  of 
the  Jin j  in,  which  Ruggedo' s  own  evil  deeds  had  brought  upon 
him. 

From  this  time  on  he  was  an  outcast — a  wanderer  upon  the 
face  of  the  earth — and  he  had  even  forgotten  to  fill  his  pockets 
with  gold  and  jewels  before  he  fled  from  his  former 
Kingdom ! 

200 


CHAPTER  19 

King  Kaliko 

AFTER  the  King  had  made  good  his  escape  Files  said  to  the 
dragon,  in  a  said  voice : 

"Alas!  why  did  you  not  come  before?  Because  you  were 
sleeping  instead  of  conquering,  the  lovely  Rose  Princess  has 
become  a  fiddle  without  a  bow,  while  poor  Shaggy  sits  there 
a  cooing  dove !" 

"Don't  worry,"  replied  Quox.  "Tititi-Hoochoo  knows 
his  business,  and  I  had  my  orders  from  the  Great  Jin j in  him 
self.  Bring  the  fiddle  here  and  touch  it  lightly  to  my  pink 
ribbon." 

Files  obeyed  and  at  the  moment  of  contact  with  the  ribbon 
the  Nome  King's  charm  was  broken  and  the  Rose  Princess 

202 


Chapter  Nineteen 


herself  stood  before  them  as  sweet  and  smiling  as  ever. 

The  dove,  perched  on  the  back  of  the  throne,  had  seen  and 
heard  all  this,  so  without  being  told  what  to  do  it  flew  straight 
to  the  dragon  and  alighted  on  the  ribbon.  Next  instant 
Shaggy  was  himself  again  and  Quox  said  to  him  grumblingly : 

"Please  get  off  any  left  toe,  Shaggy  Man,  and  be  more 
particular  where  you  step." 

"I  beg  your  pardon !"  replied  Shaggy,  very  glad  to  resume 
his  natural  form.  Then  he  ran  to  lift  the  heavy  diamond 
off  Tik-Tok's  chest  and  to  assist  the  Clockwork  Man  to  his 
feet. 

"Ma-ny  thanks!"  said  Tik-Tok.  "Where  is  the  wick-ed 
King  who  want-ed  to  melt  me  in  a  cru-ci-ble  *?" 

"He  has  gone,  and  gone  for  good,"  answered  Polychrome, 
who  had  managed  to  squeeze  into  the  room  beside  the  dragon 
and  had  witnessed  the  occurrences  with  much  interest.  "But 
I  wonder  where  Betsy  Bobbin  and  Hank  can  be,  and  if  any 
harm  has  befallen  them." 

"We  must  search  the  cavern  until  we  find  them,"  declared 
Shaggy;  but  when  he  went  to  the  door  leading  to  the  other 
caverns  he  found  it  shut  and  barred. 

"I've  a  pretty  strong  push  in  my  forehead,"  said  Quox, 
"and  I  believe  I  can  break  down  that  door,  even  though  it's 
made  of  solid  gold." 

"But  you  are  a  prisoner,  and  the  chains  that  hold  you  are 

203 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


fastened  in  some  other  room,  so  that  we  cannot  release  you/' 
Files  said  anxiously. 

"Oh,  never  mind  that/'  returned  the  dragon.  "I  have  re 
mained  a  prisoner  only  because  I  wished  to  be  one,"  and  with 
this  he  stepped  forward  and  burst  the  stout  chains  as  easily  as 
if  they  had  been  threads. 

But  when  he  tried  to  push  in  the  heavy  metal  door,  even 
his  mighty  strength  failed,  and  after  several  attempts  he  gave 
it  up  and  squatted  himself  in  a  corner  to  think  of  a  better 
way. 

"I'll  o-pen  the  door/'  asserted  Tik-Tok,  and  going  to  the 
King's  big  gong  he  pounded  upon  it  until  the  noise  was  almost 
deafening. 

Kaliko,  in  the  next  cavern,  was  wondering  what  had  hap 
pened  to  Ruggedo  and  if  he  had  escaped  the  eggs  and  out 
witted  the  dragon.  But  when  he  heard  the  sound  of  the  gong, 
which  had  so  often  called  him  into  the  King's  presence,  he 
decided  that  Ruggedo  had  been  victorious;  so  he  took  away 
the  bar,  threw  open  the  door  and  entered  the  royal  cavern. 

Great  was  his  astonishment  to  find  the  King  gone  and  the 
enchantments  removed  from  the  Princess  and  Shaggy.  But 
the  eggs  were  also  gone  and  so  Kaliko  advanced  to  the  dragon, 
whom  he  knew  to  be  Tititi-Hoochoo's  messenger,  and  bowed 
humbly  before  the  beast. 

"What  is  your  will?"  he  inquired. 

204 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"Where  is  Betsy?"  demanded  the  dragon. 

"Safe  in  my  own  private  room,"  said  Kaliko. 

"Go  and  get  her!"  commanded  Quox. 

So  Kaliko  went  to  Betsy's  room  and  gave  three  raps  upon 
the  door.  The  little  girl  had  been  asleep,  but  she  heard  the 
raps  and  opened  the  door. 

"You  may  come  out  now,"  said  Kaliko.  "The  King  has 
fled  in  disgrace  and  your  friends  are  asking  for  you." 

So  Betsy  and  Hank  returned  with  the  Royal  Chamberlain 
to  the  throne  cavern,  where  she  was  received  with  great  joy 
by  her  friends.  They  told  her  what  had  happened  to  Rug- 
gedo  and  she  told  them  how  kind  Kaliko  had  been  to  her. 
Quox  did  not  have  much  to  say  until  the  conversation  was 
ended,  but  then  he  turned  to  Kaliko  and  asked: 

"Do  you  suppose  you  could  rule  your  nomes  better  than 
Ruggedo  has  done?" 

"Me?"  stammered  the  Chamberlain,  greatly  surprised  by 
the  question.  "Well,  I  couldn't  be  a  worse  King,  I'm  sure." 

"Would  the  nomes  obey  you?"  inquired  the  dragon. 

"Of  course,"  said  Kaliko.  "They  like  me  better  than  ever 
they  did  Ruggedo." 

"Then  hereafter  you  shall  be  the  Metal  Monarch,  King 
of  the  Nomes,  and  Tititi-Hoochoo  expects  you  to  rule  your 
Kingdom  wisely  and  well,"  said  Quox. 

"Hooray!"  cried  Betsy;  "I'm  glad  of  that.  King  Kaliko, 

206 


Chapter  Nineteen 


I  salute  Your  Majesty  and  wish  you  joy  in  your  gloomy  old 
Kingdom!" 

"We  all  wish  him  joy,"  said  Polychrome;  and  then  the 
others  made  haste  to  congratulate  the  new  King. 

"Will  you  release  my  dear  brother?"  asked  Shaggy. 

"The  Ugly  One?  Very  willingly,"  replied  Kaliko.  "I 
begged  Ruggedo  long  ago  to  send  him  away,  but  he  would 
not  do  so.  I  also  offered  to  help  your  brother  to  escape,  but 
he  would  not  go." 

"He's  so  conscientious!"  said  Shaggy,  highly  pleased. 
"All  of  our  family  have  noble  natures.  But  is  my  dear  brother 
well?"  he  added  anxiously. 

"He  eats  and  sleeps  very  steadily,"  replied  the  new  King. 

"I  hope  he  doesn't  work  too  hard,"  said  Shaggy. 

"He  doesn't  work  at  all.  In  fact,  there  is  nothing  he  can 
do  in  these  dominions  as  well  as  our  nomes,  whose  numbers 
are  so  great  that  it  worries  us  to  keep  them  all  busy.  So  your 
brother  has  only  to  amuse  himself." 

"Why,  it's  more  like  visiting,  than  being  a  prisoner,"  as 
serted  Betsy. 

"Not  exactly,"  returned  Kaliko.  "A  prisoner  cannot  go 
where  or  when  he  pleases,  and  is  not  his  own  master." 

"Where  is  my  brother  now?"  inquired  Shaggy. 

"In  the  Metal  Forest." 

"Where  is  that?" 

207 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"The  Metal  Forest  is  in  the  Great  Domed  Cavern,  the 
largest  in  all  our  dominions,"  replied  Kaliko.  "It  is  almost 
like  being  out  of  doors,  it  is  so  big,  and  Ruggedo  made  the 
wonderful  forest  to  amuse  himself,  as  well  as  to  tire  out  his 
hard-working  nomes.  All  the  trees  are  gold  and  silver  and 
the  ground  is  strewn  with  precious  stones,  so  it  is  a  sort  of 
treasury." 

"Let  us  go  there  at  once  and  rescue  my  dear  brother," 
pleaded  Shaggy  earnestly. 

Kaliko  hesitated. 

"I  don't  believe  I  can  find  the  way,"  said  he.  "Ruggedo 
made  three  secret  passages  to  the  Metal  Forest,  but  he 
changes  the  location  of  these  passages  every  week,  so  that  no 
one  can  get  to  the  Metal  Forest  without  his  permission. 
However,  if  we  look  sharp,  we  may  be  able  to  discover  one  of 
these  secret  ways." 

"That  reminds  me  to  ask  what  has  become  of  Queen  Ann 
and  the  Officers  of  Oogaboo,"  said  Files. 

"I'm  sure  I  can't  say,"  replied  Kaliko. 

"Do  you  suppose  Ruggedo  destroyed  them?" 

"Oh,  no;  I'm  quite  sure  he  didn't.  They  fell  into  the 
big  pit  in  the  passage,  and  we  put  the  cover  on  to  keep  them 
there ;  but  when  the  executioners  went  to  look  for  them  they 
had  all  disappeared  from  the  pit  and  we  could  find  no  trace 
of  them." 

208 


Chapter  Nineteen 


'That's  funny,"  remarked  Betsy  thoughtfully.  "I  don't 
believe  Ann  knew  any  magic,  or  she'd  have  worked  it  before. 
But  to  disappear  like  that  seems  like  magic;  now,  doesn't  it?" 

They  agreed  that  it  did,  but  no  one  could  explain  the 
mystery. 

"However,"  said  Shaggy,  "they  are  gone,  that  is  certain, 
so  we  cannot  help  them  or  be  helped  by  them.  And  the  im 
portant  thing  just  now  is  to  rescue  my  dear  brother  from 
captivity." 

"Why  do  they  call  him  the  Ugly  One?"  asked  Betsy. 

"I  do  not  know,"  confessed  Shaggy.  "I  cannot  remember 
his  looks  very  well,  it  is  so  long  since  I  have  seen  him;  but 
all  of  our  family  are  noted  for  their  handsome  faces." 

Betsy  laughed  and  Shaggy  seemed  rather  hurt;  but  Poly 
chrome  relieved  his  embarrassment  by  saying  softly:  "One 
can  be  ugly  in  looks,  but  lovely  in  disposition." 

"Our  first  task,"  said  Shaggy,  a  little  comforted  by  this 
remark,  "is  to  find  one  of  those  secret  passages  to  the  Metal 
Forest." 

"True,"  agreed  Kaliko.  "So  I  think  I  will  assemble  the 
chief  nomes  of  my  kingdom  in  this  throne  room  and  tell  them 
that  I  am  their  new  King.  Then  I  can  ask  them  to  assist  us  in 
searching  for  the  secret  passages." 

"That's  a  good  idea,"  said  the  dragon,  who  seemed  to  be 
getting  sleepy  again. 

209 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


Kaliko  went  to  the  big  gong  and  pounded  on  it  just  as 
Ruggedo  used  to  do;  but  no  one  answered  the  summons. 

"Of  course  not,"  said  he,  jumping  up  from  the  throne, 
where  he  had  seated  himself.  "That  is  my  call,  and  I  am 
still  the  Royal  Chamberlain,  and  will  be  until  I  appoint  an 
other  in  my  place." 

So  he  ran  out  of  the  room  and  found  Guph  and  told  him 
to  answer  the  summons  of  the  King's  gong.  Having  re 
turned  to  the  royal  cavern,  Kaliko  first  pounded  the  gong 
and  then  sat  in  the  throne,  wearing  Ruggedo5  s  discarded  ruby 
crown  and  holding  in  his  hand  the  sceptre  which  Ruggedo 
had  so  often  thrown  at  his  head. 

When  Guph  entered  he  was  amazed. 

"Better  get  out  of  that  throne  before  old  Ruggedo  comes 
back,"  he  said  warningly. 

"He  isn't  coming  back,  and  I  am  now  the  King  of  the 
Nomes,  in  his  stead,"  announced  Kaliko. 

"All  of  which  is  quite  true,"  asserted  the  dragon,  and  all 
of  those  who  stood  around  the  throne  bowed  respectfully  to 
the  new  King. 

Seeing  this,  Guph  also  bowed,  for  he  was  glad  to  be  rid 
of  such  a  hard  master  as  Ruggedo.  Then  Kaliko,  in  quite  a 
kingly  way,  informed  Guph  that  he  was  appointed  the  Royal 
Chamberlain,  and  promised  not  to  throw  the  sceptre  at  his 
head  unless  he  deserved  it. 

210 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


All  this  being  pleasantly  arranged,  the  new  Chamber 
lain  went  away  to  tell  the  news  to  all  the  nomes  of  the  under 
ground  Kingdom,  every  one  of  whom  would  be  delighted  with 
the  change  in  Kings. 


212 


CHAPTER  20 

Quox  Quietly  Quits 

WHEN  the  chief  nomes  assembled  before  their  new  King 
they  joyfully  saluted  him  and  promised  to  obey  his  com 
mands.  But,  when  Kaliko  questioned  them,  none  knew  the 
way  to  the  Metal  Forest,  although  all  had  assisted  in  its 
making.  So  the  King  instructed  them  to  search  carefully  for 
one  of  the  passages  and  to  bring  him  the  news  as  soon  as  they 
had  found  it. 

Meantime  Quox  had  managed  to  back  out  of  the  rocky 
corridor  and  so  regain  the  open  air  and  his  old  station  on  the 
mountain-side,  and  there  he  lay  upon  the  rocks,  sound  asleep, 
until  the  next  day.  The  others  of  the  party  were  all  given 
as  good  rooms  as  the  caverns  of  the  nomes  afforded,  for  King 

213 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


Kaliko  felt  that  he  was  indebted  to  them  for  luu  promotion 
and  was  anxious  to  be  as  hospitable  as  he  could 

Much  wonderment  had  been  caused  by  the  absolute  <ii 
appearance  of  the  sixteen  officers  of  Oogaboo  and  thci  r  Onecn. 

Not   .1  iHinir  had  seen  them,  MOI   \\cic  they  « li  <  o\  <  red  during 

the  search  for  the  passages  leading  to  the  Metal  Forest.    Per 
haps  no  one  was  unhappv  over  their  loss,  but  all  were  cnnou 
to  know  what  had  become  of  them. 

On  the  next  day,  when  our  friends  went  to  visit  thr  drag 
on,  Quox  said  to  them:  "I  must  now  bid  you  good-bye,  for 
m\  nn  ion  here  is  finished  and  I  must  depart  for  the  other 
side  of  the  world,  where  I  belong." 

"Will  you  p»  through  thr  Tube  again?11  asked  Betsy. 

11  To  be  Mire.  Hut  it  will  be  a  lonely  trip  this  time,  with 
no  one  to  talk  to,  and  1  cannot  invite  any  of  you  to  i;o  with 
me.  Therefore',  as  MUMI  as  I  slide  into  the  hole  I  shall  ^o  to 
sleep,  and  when  I  pop  out  at  the  other  end  1  will  wake  up 
at  home/1 

I  hey  thanked  the  dragon  for  befriending  them  and  wished 
him  a  pleasant  journey.  Also  they  sent  their  thanks  to  the 
prat  Jinjin,  whose  just  condemnation  of  Hui^cdo  had  served 
their  interests  so  well.  Then  ^}uo\  \.i\vned  and  stretched 
hmiM-lt  and  ambled  over  to  the  Tube,  into  which  he  slid  head 
foremost  and  disappeared. 

They  really  felt  as  if  they  had  lost  a  friend,  tor  the  dragon 

214 


Chapter  Twenty 


had  been  both  kind  and  sociable  during  their  brief  acquaint 
ance  with  him;  but  they  knew  it  was  his  duty  to  return  to  his 
own  country.  So  they  went  back  to  the  caverns  to  renew  the 
search  for  the  hidden  passages  that  led  to  the  forest,  but  for 
three  days  all  efforts  to  find  them  proved  in  vain. 

It  was  Polychrome's  custom  to  go  every  day  to  the  moun 
tain  and  watch  for  her  father,  the  Rainbow,  for  she  was 
growing  tired  with  wandering  upon  the  earth  and  longed  to 
rejoin  her  sisters  in  their  sky  palaces.  And  on  the  third  day, 
while  she  sat  motionless  upon  a  point  of  rock,  whom  should 
she  see  slyly  creeping  up  the  mountain  but  Ruggedo! 

The  former  King  looked  very  forlorn.  His  clothes  were 
soiled  and  torn  and  he  had  no  sandals  upon  his  feet  or  hat 
upon  his  head.  Having  left  his  crown  and  sceptre  behind 
when  he  fled,  the  old  nome  no  longer  seemed  kingly,  but  more 
like  a  beggarman. 

Several  times  had  Ruggedo  crept  up  to  the  mouth  of  the 
caverns,  only  to  find  the  six  eggs  still  on  guard.  He  knew 
quite  well  that  he  must  accept  his  fate  and  become  a  home 
less  wanderer,  but  his  chief  regret  now  was  that  he  had  neg 
lected  to  fill  his  pockets  with  gold  and  jewels.  He  was  aware 
that  a  wanderer  with  wealth  at  his  command  would  fare 
much  better  than  one  who  was  a  pauper,  so  he  still  loitered 
around  the  caverns  wherein  he  knew  so  much  treasure  was 
stored,  hoping  for  a  chance  to  fill  his  pockets. 

215 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


That  was  how  he  came  to  recollect  the  Metal  Forest. 

"Aha!"  said  he  to  himself,  "I  alone  know  the  way  to  that 
Forest,  and  once  there  I  can  fill  my  pockets  with  the  finest 
jewels  in  all  the  world." 

He  glanced  at  his  pockets  and  was  grieved  to  find  them  so 
small.  Perhaps  they  might  be  enlarged,  so  that  they  would 
hold  more.  He  knew  of  a  poor  woman  who  lived  in  a  cot 
tage  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  so  he  went  to  her  and  begged 
her  to  sew  pockets  all  over  his  robe,  paying  her  with  the  gift 
of  a  diamond  ring  which  he  had  worn  upon  his  finger.  The 
woman  was  delighted  to  possess  so  valuable  a  ring  and  she 
sewed  as  many  pockets  on  Ruggedo' s  robe  as  she  possibly 
could. 

Then  he  returned  up  the  mountain  and,  after  gazing  cau 
tiously  around  to  make  sure  he  was  not  observed,  he  touched 
a  spring  in  a  rock  and  it  swung  slowly  backward,  disclosing 
a  broad  passageway.  This  he  entered,  swinging  the  rock  in 
place  behind  him. 

However,  Ruggedo  had  failed  to  look  as  carefully  as  he 
might  have  done,  for  Polychrome  was  seated  only  a  little  dis 
tance  off  and  her  clear  eyes  marked  exactly  the  manner  in 
which  Ruggedo  had  released  the  hidden  spring.  So  she  rose 
and  hurried  into  the  cavern,  where  she  told  Kaliko  and  her 
friends  of  her  discovery. 

"I've  no  doubt  that  that  is  a  way  to  the  Metal  Forest," 

216 


Chapter  Twenty 


exclaimed  Shaggy.  "Come,  let  us  follow  Ruggedo  at  once 
and  rescue  my  poor  brother !" 

They  agreed  to  this  and  King  Kaliko  called  together  a 
band  of  nomes  to  assist  them  by  carrying  torches  to  light  their 
way. 

"The  Metal  Forest  has  a  brilliant  light  of  its  own,"  said 
he,  "but  the  passage  across  the  valley  is  likely  to  be  dark." 

Polychrome  easily  found  the  rock  and  touched  the  spring, 
so  in  less  than  an  hour  after  Ruggedo  had  entered  they  were 
all  in  the  passage  and  following  swiftly  after  the  former 
King. 

"He  means  to  rob  the  Forest,,  I'm  sure,"  said  Kaliko;  "but 
he  will  find  he  is  no  longer  of  any  account  in  this  Kingdom 
and  I  will  have  my  nomes  throw  him  out." 

"Then  please  throw  him  as  hard  as  you  can,"  said  Betsy, 
"for  he  deserves  it.  I  don't  mind  an  honest,  out-an'-out 
enemy,  who  fights  square ;  but  changing  girls  into  fiddles  and 
ordering  'em  put  into  Slimy  Caves  is  mean  and  tricky,  and 
Ruggedo  doesn't  deserve  any  sympathy.  But  you'll  have  to 
let  him  take  as  much  treasure  as  he  can  get  in  his  pockets, 
Kaliko." 

"Yes,  the  Jinjin  said  so;  but  we  won't  miss  it  much. 
There  is  more  treasure  in  the  Metal  Forest  than  a  million 
nomes  could  carry  in  their  pockets." 

It  was  not  difficult  to  walk  through  this  passage,  especially 

217 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


when  the  torches  lighted  the  way,  so  they  made  good  progress. 
But  it  proved  to  be  a  long  distance  and  Betsy  had  tired  herself 
with  walking  and  was  seated  upon  the  back  of  the  mule  when 
the  passage  made  a  sharp  turn  and  a  wonderful  and  glorious 
light  burst  upon  them.  The  next  moment  they  were  all  stand 
ing  upon  the  edge  of  the  marvelous  Metal  Forest. 

It  lay  under  another  mountain  and  occupied  a  great 
domed  cavern,  the  roof  of  which  was  higher  than  a  church 
steeple.  In  this  space  the  industrious  nomes  had  built,  dur 
ing  many  years  of  labor,  the  most  beautiful  forest  in  the 
world.  The  trees — trunks,  branches  and  leaves — were  all  of 
solid  gold,  while  the  bushes  and  underbrush  were  formed  of 
filigree  silver,  virgin  pure.  The  trees  towered  as  high  as  nat 
ural  live  oaks  do  and  were  of  exquisite  workmanship. 

On  the  ground  were  thickly  strewn  precious  gems  of  every 
hue  and  size,  while  here  and  there  among  the  trees  were 
paths  pebbled  with  cut  diamonds  of  the  clearest  water. 
Taken  all  together,  more  treasure  was  gathered  in  this  Metal 
Forest  than  is  contained  in  all  the  rest  of  the  world — if  we 
except  the  land  of  Oz,  where  perhaps  its  value  is  equalled  in 
the  famous  Emerald  City. 

Our  friends  were  so  amazed  at  the  sight  that  for  a  while 
they  stood  gazing  in  silent  wonder.  Then  Shaggy  exclaimed  : 

"My  brother!  My  dear  lost  brother!  Is  he  indeed  a 
prisoner  in  this  place?' 

218 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"Yes,"  replied  Kaliko.  "The  Ugly  One  has  been  here  for 
two  or  three  years,  to  my  positive  knowledge." 

"But  what  could  he  find  to  eat?"  inquired  Betsy.  "It's  an 
awfully  swell  place  to  live  in,  but  one  can't  breakfast  on 
rubies  and  diamonds,  or  even  gold." 

"One  doesn't  need  toa  my  dear,"  Kaliko  assured  her. 
"The  Metal  Forest  does  not  fill  all  of  this  great  cavern,  by 
any  means.  Beyond  these  gold  and  silver  trees  are  other  trees 
of  the  real  sort,  which  bear  foods  very  nice  to  eat.  Let  us 
walk  in  that  direction,  for  I  am  quite  sure  we  will  find 
Shaggy's  brother  in  that  part  of  the  cavern,  rather  than  in 
this." 

So  they  began  to  tramp  over  the  diamond-pebbled  paths, 
and  at  every  step  they  were  more  and  more  bewildered  by  the 
wondrous  beauty  of  the  golden  trees  with  their  glittering 
foliage. 

Suddenly  they  heard  a  scream.  Jewels  scattered  in  every 
direction  as  some  one  hidden  among  the  bushes  scampered 
away  before  them.  Then  a  loud  voice  cried:  "Halt!"  and 
there  was  the  sound  of  a  struggle. 


220 


CHAPTER  21 

A  Bashful  Brother 

WITH  fast  beating  hearts  they  all  rushed  forward  and, 
beyond  a  group  of  stately  metal  trees,  came  full  upon  a  most 
astonishing  scene. 

There  was  Ruggedo  in  the  hands  of  the  officers  of  Ooga- 
boo,  a  dozen  of  whom  were  clinging  to  the  old  nome  and 
holding  him  fast  in  spite  of  his  efforts  to  escape.  There  also 
was  Queen  Ann,  looking  grimly  upon  the  scene  of  strife; 
but  when  she  observed  her  former  companions  approaching 
she  turned  away  in  a  shamefaced  manner. 

For  Ann  and  her  officers  were  indeed  a  sight  to  behold. 
Her  Majesty's  clothing,  once  so  rich  and  gorgeous,  was  now 
worn  and  torn  into  shreds  by  her  long  crawl  through  the 

221 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


tunnel,  which,  by  the  way,  had  led  her  directly  into  the  Metal 
Forest.  It  was,  indeed,  one  of  the  three  secret  passages,  and 
by  far  the  most  difficult  of  the  three.  Ann  had  not  only 
torn  her  pretty  skirt  and  jacket,  but  her  crown  had  become 
bent  and  battered  and  even  her  shoes  were  so  cut  and  slashed 
that  they  were  ready  to  fall  from  her  feet. 

The  officers  had  fared  somewhat  worse  than  their  leader, 
for  holes  were  worn  in  the  knees  of  their  trousers,  while  sharp 
points  of  rock  in  the  roof  and  sides  of  the  tunnel  had  made 
rags  of  every  inch  of  their  once  brilliant  uniforms.  A  more 
tattered  and  woeful  army  never  came  out  of  a  battle,  than 
these  harmless  victims  of  the  rocky  passage.  But  it  had 
seemed  their  only  means  of  escape  from  the  cruel  Nome 
King;  so  they  had  crawled  on,  regardless  of  their  sufferings. 

When  they  reached  the  Metal  Forest  their  eyes  beheld 
more  plunder  than  they  had  ever  dreamed  of;  yet  they  were 
prisoners  in  this  huge  dome  and  could  not  escape  with  the 
riches  heaped  about  them.  Perhaps  a  more  unhappy  and 
homesick  lot  of  "conquerors"  never  existed  than  this  band 
from  Oogaboo. 

After  several  days  of  wandering  in  their  marvelous 
prison  they  were  frightened  by  the  discovery  that  Rug- 
gedo  had  come  among  them.  Rendered  desperate  by  their 
sad  condition,  the  officers  exhibited  courage  for  the  first  time 
since  they  left  home  and,  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  Ruggedo 

222 


Chapter  Twenty-One 

was  no  longer  King  of  the  nomes,  they  threw  themselves 
upon  him  and  had  just  succeeded  in  capturing  him  when  their 
fellow  adventurers  reached  the  spot. 

"Goodness  gracious!"  cried  Betsy.  "What  has  happened 
to  you  all  T 

Ann  came  forward  to  greet  them,  sorrowful  and  indignant. 

"We  were  obliged  to  escape  from  the  pit  through  a  small 
tunnel,  which  was  lined  with  sharp  and  jagged  rocks,"  said 
she,  "and  not  only  was  our  clothing  torn  to  rags  but  our  flesh 
is  so  bruised  and  sore  that  we  are  stiff  and  lame  in  every  joint. 
To  add  to  our  troubles  we  find  we  are  still  prisoners ;  but  now 
that  we  have  succeeded  in  capturing  the  wicked  Metal  Mon 
arch  we  shall  force  him  to  grant  us  our  liberty." 

"Ruggedo  is  no  longer  Metal  Monarch,  or  King  of  the 
nomes,"  Files  informed  her.  "He  has  been  deposed  and 
cast  out  of  his  kingdom  by  Quox;  but  here  is  the  new  King, 
whose  name  is  Kaliko,  and  I  am  pleased  to  assure  Your  Maj 
esty  that  he  is  our  friend." 

"Glad  to  meet  Your  Majesty,  I'm  sure,"  said  Kaliko,  bow 
ing  as  courteously  as  if  the  Queen  still  wore  splendid  raiment. 

The  officers,  having  heard  this  explanation,  now  set  Rug 
gedo  free ;  but,  as  he  had  no  place  to  go,  he  stood  by  and  faced 
his  former  servant,  who  was  now  King  in  his  place,  in  a 
humble  and  pleading  manner. 

"What  are  you  doing  here?"  asked  Kaliko  sternly. 

223 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


<fWhy,  I  was  promised  as  much  treasure  as  I  could  carry 
in  my  pockets,"  replied  Ruggedo;  "so  I  came  here  to  get  it, 
not  wishing  to  disturb  Your  Majesty." 

"You  were  commanded  to  leave  the  country  of  the  nomes 
forever!"  declared  Kaliko. 

"I  know;  and  I'll  go  as  soon  as  I  have  filled  my  pockets," 
said  Ruggedo,  meekly. 

"Then  fill  them,  and  be  gone,"  returned  the  new  King. 

Ruggedo  obeyed.  Stooping  down,  he  began  gathering  up 
jewels  by  the  handful  and  stuffing  them  into  his  many 
pockets.  They  were  heavy  things,  these  diamonds  and  rubies 
and  emeralds  and  amethysts  and  the  like,  so  before  long  Rug 
gedo  was  staggering  with  the  weight  he  bore,  while  the  pock 
ets  were  not  yet  filled.  When  he  could  no  longer  stoop  over 
without  falling,  Betsy  and  Polychrome  and  the  Rose  Princess 
came  to  his  assistance,  picking  up  the  finest  gems  and  tucking 
them  into  his  pockets. 

At  last  these  were  all  filled  and  Ruggedo  presented  a 
comical  sight,  for  surely  no  man  ever  before  had  so  many 
pockets,  or  any  at  all  filled  with  such  a  choice  collection  of 
precious  stones.  He  neglected  to  thank  the  young  ladies  for 
their  kindness,  but  gave  them  a  surly  nod  of  farewell  and 
staggered  down  the  path  by  the  way  he  had  come.  They 
let  him  depart  in  silence,  for  with  all  he  had  taken,  the 
masses  of  jewels  upon  the  ground  seemed  scarcely  to  have 

224 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


been  disturbed,  so  numerous  were  they.  Also  they  hoped 
they  had  seen  the  last  of  the  degraded  King. 

"I'm  awful  glad  he's  gone,"  said  Betsy,  sighing  deeply. 
"If  he  doesn't  get  reckless  and  spend  his  wealth  foolishly, 
he's  got  enough  to  start  a  bank  when  he  gets  to  Oklahoma." 

"But  my  brother — my  dear  brother!  Where  is  he?"  in 
quired  Shaggy  anxiously.  "Have  you  seen  him,  Queen 
Ann?' 

"What  does  your  brother  look  like?"  asked  the  Queen. 

Shaggy  hesitated  to  reply,  but  Betsy  said:  "He's  called 
the  Ugly  One.  Perhaps  you'll  know  him  by  that." 

"The  only  person  we  have  seen  in  this  cavern,"  said  Ann, 
"has  run  away  from  us  whenever  we  approached  him.  He 
hides  over  yonder,  among  the  trees  that  are  not  gold,  and  we 
have  never  been  able  to  catch  sight  of  his  face.  So  I  cannot 
tell  whether  he  is  ugly  or  not." 

"That  must  be  my  dear  brother!"  exclaimed  Shaggy. 

"Yes,  it  must  be,"  assented  Kaliko.  "No  one  else  inhabits 
this  splendid  dome,  so  there  can  be  no  mistake." 

"But  why  does  he  hide  among  those  green  trees,  instead 
of  enjoying  all  these  glittery  golden  ones?"  asked  Betsy. 

"Because  he  finds  food  among  the  natural  trees,"  replied 
Kaliko,  "and  I  remember  that  he  has  built  a  little  house 
there,  to  sleep  in.  As  for  these  glittery  golden  trees,  I  will 
admit  they  are  very  pretty  at  first  sight.  One  cannot  fail  to 

226 


Chapter  Twenty-One 

admire  them,  as  well  as  the  rich  jewels  scattered  beneath 
them;  but  if  one  has  to  look  at  them  always,  they  become 
pretty  tame." 

"I  believe  that  is  true,"  declared  Shaggy.  "My  dear 
brother  is  very  wise  to  prefer  real  trees  to  the  imitation  ones. 
But  come ;  let  us  go  there  and  find  him." 

Shaggy  started  for  the  green  grove  at  once,  and  the  others 
followed  him,  being  curious  to  witness  the  final  rescue  of  his 
long-sought,  long-lost  brother. 

Not  far  from  the  edge  of  the  grove  they  came  upon  a 
small  hut,  cleverly  made  of  twigs  and  golden  branches  woven 
together.  As  they  approached  the  place  they  caught  a 
glimpse  of  a  form  that  darted  into  the  hut  and  slammed  the 
door  tight  shut  after  him. 

Shaggy  Man  ran  to  the  door  and  cried  aloud : 

"Brother!    Brother!" 

"Who  calls,"  demanded  a  sad,  hollow  voice  from  within. 

"It  is  Shaggy — your  own  loving  brother — who  has  been 
searching  for  you  a  long  time  and  has  now  come  to  rescue 
you." 

"Too  late!"  replied  the  gloomy  voice.    "No  one  can  res 


cue  me  now." 


"Oh,  but  you  are  mistaken  about  that,"  said  Shaggy. 
"There  is  a  new  King  of  the  nomes,  named  Kaliko,  in  Rug- 
gedo's  place,  and  he  has  promised  you  shall  go  free." 

227 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"Free !  I  dare  not  go  free !"  said  the  Ugly  One,  in  a  voice 
of  despair. 

"Why  not,  Brother?"  asked  Shaggy,  anxiously. 

"Do  you  know  what  they  have  done  to  me?"  came  the 
answer  through  the  closed  door. 

"No.    Tell  me,  Brother,  what  have  they  done?" 

"When  Ruggedo  first  captured  me  I  was  very  handsome. 
Don't  you  remember,  Shaggy?" 

"Not  very  well,  Brother;  you  were  so  young  when  I  left 
home.  But  I  remember  that  mother  thought  you  were 
beautiful." 

"She  was  right!  I  am  sure  she  was  right,"  wailed  the 
prisoner.  "But  Ruggedo  wanted  to  injure  me — to  make  me 
ugly  in  the  eyes  of  all  the  world — so  he  performed  a  wicked 
enchantment.  I  went  to  bed  beautiful — or  you  might  say 
handsome — to  be  very  modest  I  will  merely  claim  that  I  was 
good-looking — and  I  wakened  the  next  morning  the  homeliest 
man  in  all  the  world !  I  am  so  repulsive  that  when  I  look  in 
a  mirror  I  frighten  myself." 

"Poor  Brother!"  said  Shaggy  softly,  and  all  the  others 
were  silent  from  sympathy. 

"I  was  so  ashamed  of  my  looks,"  continued  the  voice  of 
Shaggy' s  brother,  "that  I  tried  to  hide;  but  the  cruel  King 
Ruggedo  forced  me  to  appear  before  all  the  legion  of  nomes, 
to  whom  he  said:  'Behold  the  Ugly  One!'  But  when  the 

228 


Chapter  Twenty-One 

nomes  saw  my  face  they  all  fell  to  laughing  and  jeering, 
which  prevented  them  from  working  at  their  tasks.  Seeing 
this,  Ruggedo  became  angry  and  pushed  me  into  a  tunnel, 
closing  the  rock  entrance  so  that  I  could  not  get  out.  I  fol 
lowed  the  length  of  the  tunnel  until  I  reached  this  huge  dome, 
where  the  marvelous  Metal  Forest  stands,  and  here  I  have 
remained  ever  since." 

"Poor  Brother!"  repeated  Shaggy.  "But  I  beg  you  now 
to  come  forth  and  face  us,  who  are  your  friends.  None  here 
will  laugh  or  jeer,  however  unhandsome  you  may  be." 

"No,  indeed,"  they  all  added  pleadingly. 

But  the  Ugly  One  refused  the  invitation. 

"I  cannot,"  said  he;  "indeed,  I  cannot  face  strangers,  ugly 
as  I  am." 

Shaggy  Man  turned  to  the  group  surrounding  him. 

"What  shall  I  do?"  he  asked  in  sorrowful  tones.  "I  can 
not  leave  my  dear  brother  here,  and  he  refuses  to  come  out  of 
that  house  and  face  us." 

"I'll  tell  you,"  replied  Betsy.    "Let  him  put  on  a  mask." 

"The  very  idea  I  was  seeking!"  exclaimed  Shaggy  joy 
fully;  and  then  he  called  out:  "Brother,  put  a  mask  over 
your  face,  and  then  none  of  us  can  see  what  your  features 
are  like." 

"I  have  no  mask,"  answered  the  Ugly  One. 

"Look  here,"  said  Betsy;  "he  can  use  my  handkerchief." 

229 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


Shaggy  looked  at  the  little  square  of  cloth  and  shook  his 
head. 

"It  isn't  big  enough,"  he  objected;  "I'm  sure  it  isn't  big 
enough  to  hide  a  man's  face.  But  he  can  use  mine." 

Saying  this  he  took  from  his  pocket  his  own  handkerchief 
and  went  to  the  door  of  the  hut. 

"Here,  my  Brother,"  he  called,  "take  this  handkerchief 
and  make  a  mask  of  it.  I  will  also  pass  you  my  knife,  so  that 
you  may  cut  holes  for  the  eyes,  and  then  you  must  tie  it  over 
your  face." 

The  door  slowly  opened,,  just  far  enough  for  the  Ugly  One 
to  thrust  out  his  hand  and  take  the  handkerchief  and  the 
knife.  Then  it  closed  again. 

"Don't  forget  a  hole  for  your  nose,"  cried  Betsy.  "You 
must  breathe,  you  know." 

For  a  time  there  was  silence.  Queen  Ann  and  her  army 
sat  down  upon  the  ground  to  rest.  Betsy  sat  on  Hank's  back. 
Polychrome  danced  lightly  up  and  down  the  jeweled  paths 
while  Files  and  the  Princess  wandered  through  the  groves 
arm  in  arm.  Tik-Tok,  who  never  tired,  stood  motionless. 

By  and  by  a  noise  sounded  from  within  the  hut. 

"Are  you  ready?"  asked  Shaggy. 

"Yes,  Brother,"  came  the  reply,  and  the  door  was  thrown 
open  to  allow  the  Ugly  One  to  step  forth. 

Betsy  might  have  laughed  aloud  had  she  not  remembered 

230 


Chapter  Twenty-One 

how  sensitive  to  ridicule  Shaggy' s  brother  was,  for  the  hand 
kerchief  with  which  he  had  masked  his  features  was  a  red  one 
covered  with  big  white  polka  dots.  In  this  two  holes  had 
been  cut — in  front  of  the  eyes — while  two  smaller  ones  be 
fore  the  nostrils  allowed  the  man  to  breathe  freely.  The  cloth 
was  then  tightly  drawn  over  the  Ugly  One's  face  and  knotted 
at  the  back  of  his  neck. 

He  was  dressed  in  clothes  that  had  once  been  good,  but 
now  were  sadly  worn  and  frayed.  His  silk  stockings  had 
holes  in  them,  and  his  shoes  were  stub-toed  and  needed  black 
ening.  "But  what  can  you  expect,"  whispered  Betsy,  "when 
the  poor  man  has  been  a  prisoner  for  so  many  years?" 

Shaggy  had  darted  forward,  and  embraced  his  newly 
found  brother  with  both  his  arms.  The  brother  also  embraced 
Shaggy,  who  then  led  him  forward  and  introduced  him  to 
all  the  assembled  company. 

"This  is  the  new  Nome  King,"  he  said  when  he  came  to 
Kaliko.  "He  is  our  friend,  and  has  granted  you  your 
freedom." 

"That  is  a  kindly  deed,"  replied  Ugly  in  a  sad  voice,  "but 
I  dread  to  go  back  to  the  world  in  this  direful  condition. 
Unless  I  remain  forever  masked,  my  dreadful  face  would 
curdle  all  the  milk  and  stop  all  the  clocks." 

"Can't  the  enchantment  be  broken  in  some  way?"  in 
quired  Betsy. 

231 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


Shaggy  looked  anxiously  at  Kaliko,  who  shook  his  head. 

"I  am  sure  /  can't  break  the  enchantment,"  he  said.  "Rug- 
gedo  was  fond  of  magic,  and  learned  a  good  many  enchant 
ments  that  we  nomes  know  nothing  of." 

"Perhaps  Ruggedo  himself  might  break  his  own  enchant 
ment,"  suggested  Ann;  "but  unfortunately  we  have  allowed 
the  old  King  to  escape." 

"Never  mind,  my  dear  Brother,"  said  Shaggy  consol 
ingly;  "I  am  very  happy  to  have  found  you  again,  although 
I  may  never  see  your  face.  So  let  us  make  the  most  of  this 
joyful  reunion." 

The  Ugly  One  was  affected  to  tears  by  this  tender  speech, 
and  the  tears  began  to  wet  the  red  handkerchief;  so  Shaggy 
gently  wiped  them  away  with  his  coat  sleeve. 


232 


CHAPTER  22 

Kindly  Kisses 

"WON'T  you  be  dreadful  sorry  to  leave  this  lovely  place?" 
Betsy  asked  the  Ugly  One. 

"No,  indeed,"  said  he.  "Jewels  and  gold  are  cold  and 
heartless  things,  and  I  am  sure  I  would  presently  have  died  of 
loneliness  had  I  not  found  this  natural  forest  at  the  edge  of 
the  artificial  one.  Anyhow,  without  these  real  trees  I  should 
soon  have  starved  to  death." 

Betsy  looked  around  at  the  quaint  trees. 

"I  don't  just  understand  that,"  she  admitted.  "What 
could  you  find  to  eat  here," 

"The  best  food  in  the  world,"  Ugly  answered.  "Do  you 
see  that  grove  at  your  left?"  he  added,  pointing  it  out;  "well, 

233 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


such  trees  as  those  do  not  grow  in  your  country,  or  in  any 
other  place  but  this  cavern.  I  have  named  them  'Hotel 
Trees,'  because  they  bear  a  certain  kind  of  table  d'hote  fruit 
called  Three-Course  Nuts/  " 

"That's  funny!"  said  Betsy.  "What  are  the  Three- 
Course  Nuts'  like?" 

"Something  like  cocoanuts,  to  look  at,"  explained  the 
Ugly  One.  "All  you  have  to  do  is  to  pick  one  of  them  and 
then  sit  down  and  eat  your  dinner.  You  first  unscrew  the 
top  part  and  find  a  cupf ull  of  good  soup.  After  you've  eaten 
that,  you  unscrew  the  middle  part  and  find  a  hollow  filled 
with  meat  and  potatoes,  vegetables  and  a  fine  salad.  Eat  that, 
and  unscrew  the  next  section,  and  you  come  to  the  dessert  in 
the  bottom  of  the  nut.  That  is  pie  and  cake,  cheese  and 
crackers,  and  nuts  and  raisins.  The  Three-Course  Nuts  are 
not  all  exactly  alike  in  flavor  or  in  contents,  but  they  are  all 
good  and  in  each  one  may  be  found  a  complete  three-course 
dinner." 

"But  how  about  breakfasts?"  inquired  Betsy. 

"Why,  there  are  Breakfast  Trees  for  that,  which  grow 
over  there  at  the  right.  They  bear  nuts,  like  the  others,  only 
the  nuts  contain  coffee  or  chocolate,  instead  of  soup;  oatmeal 
instead  of  meat-and-potatoes,  and  fruits  instead  of  dessert. 
Sad  as  has  been  my  life  in  this  wonderful  prison,  I  must  admit 
that  no  one  could  live  more  luxuriously  in  the  best  hotel  in  the 

234 


Chapter  Twenty-Two 

world  than  I  have  lived  here;  but  I  will  be  glad  to  get  into 
the  open  air  again  and  see  the  good  old  sun  and  the  silvery 
moon  and  the  soft  green  grass  and  the  flowers  that  are  kissed 
by  the  morning  dew.  Ah,  how  much  more  lovely  are  those 
blessed  things  than  the  glitter  of  gems  or  the  cold  gleam  of 
gold!" 

"Of  course,"  said  Betsy.  "I  once  knew  a  little  boy  who 
wanted  to  catch  the  measles,  because  all  the  little  boys  in  his 
neighborhood  but  him  had  had  'em,  and  he  was  really  unhappy 
'cause  he  couldn't  catch  'em,  try  as  he  would.  So  I'm  pretty 
certain  that  the  things  we  want,  and  can't  have,  are  not  good 
for  us.  Isn't  that  true,  Shaggy?" 

"Not  always,  my  dear,"  he  gravely  replied.  "If  we  didn't 
want  anything,  we  would  never  get  anything,  good  or  bad. 
I  think  our  longings  are  natural,  and  if  we  act  as  nature 
prompts  us  we  can't  go  far  wrong." 

'Tor  my  part,"  said  Queen  Ann,  "I  think  the  world  would 
be  a  dreary  place  without  the  gold  and  jewels." 

"All  things  are  good  in  their  way,"  said  Shaggy;  "but  we 
may  have  too  much  of  any  good  thing.  And  I  have  noticed 
that  the  value  of  anything  depends  upon  how  scarce  it  is,  and 
how  difficult  it  is  to  obtain." 

"Pardon  me  for  interrupting  you,"  said  King  Kaliko, 
coming  to  their  side,  "but  now  that  we  have  rescued  Shaggy' s 
brother  I  would  like  to  return  to  my  royal  cavern.  Being  the 

235 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


King  of  the  Nomes,  it  is  my  duty  to  look  after  my  restless 
subjects  and  see  that  they  behave  themselves." 

So  they  all  turned  and  began  walking  through  the  Metal 
Forest  to  the  other  side  of  the  great  domed  cave,  where  they 
had  first  entered  it.  Shaggy  and  his  brother  walked  side  by 
side  and  both  seemed  rejoiced  that  they  were  together  after 
their  long  separation.  Betsy  didn't  dare  look  at  the  polka- 
dot  handkerchief,  for  fear  she  would  laugh  aloud;  so  she 
walked  behind  the  two  brothers  and  led  Hank  by  holding 
fast  to  his  left  ear. 

When  at  last  they  reached  the  place  where  the  passage 
led  to  the  outer  world,  Queen  Ann  said,  in  a  hesitating  way 
that  was  unusual  with  her : 

"I  have  not  conquered  this  Nome  Country,  nor  do  I  expect 
to  do  so;  but  I  would  like  to  gather  a  few  of  these  pretty 
jewels  before  I  leave  this  place." 

"Help  yourself,  ma'am,"  said  King  Kaliko,  and  at  once 
the  officers  of  the  Army  took  advantage  of  his  royal  permis 
sion  and  began  filling  their  pockets,  while  Ann  tied  a  lot 
of  diamonds  in  a  big  handkerchief. 

This  accomplished,  they  all  entered  the  passage,  the  nomes 
going  first  to  light  the  way  with  their  torches.  They  had  not 
proceeded  far  when  Betsy  exclaimed : 

"Why,  there  are  jewels  here,  too!" 

All  eyes  were  turned  upon  the  ground  and  they  found  a 

236 


Chapter  Twenty-Two 

regular  trail  of  jewels  strewn  along  the  rock  floor. 

"This  is  queer!"  said  Kaliko,  much  surprised.  "I  must 
send  some  of  my  nomes  to  gather  up  these  gems  and  replace 
them  in  the  Metal  Forest,  where  they  belong.  I  wonder  how 
they  came  to  be  here?" 

All  the  way  along  the  passage  they  found  this  trail  of 
jewels,  but  when  they  neared  the  end  the  mystery  was  ex 
plained.  For  there,  squatted  upon  the  floor  with  his  back 
to  the  rock  wall,  sat  old  Ruggedo,  puffing  and  blowing  as  if 
he  was  all  tired  out.  Then  they  realized  it  was  he  who  had 
scattered  the  jewels,  from  his  many  pockets,  which  one  by 
one  had  burst  with  the  weight  of  their  contents  as  he  had 
stumbled  along  the  passage. 

"But  I  don't  mind,"  said  Ruggedo,  with  a  deep  sigh.  "I 
now  realize  that  I  could  not  have  carried  such  a  weighty  load 
very  far,  even  had  I  managed  to  escape  from  this  passage 
with  it.  The  woman  who  sewed  the  pockets  on  my  robe  used 
poor  thread,  for  which  I  shall  thank  her." 

"Have  you  any  jewels  left?"  inquired  Betsy. 

He  glanced  into  some  of  the  remaining  pockets. 

"A  few,"  said  he,  "but  they  will  be  sufficient  to  supply  my 
wants,  and  I  no  longer  have  any  desire  to  be  rich.  If  some  of 
you  will  kindly  help  me  to  rise,  I'll  get  out  of  here  and  leave 
you,  for  I  know  you  all  despise  me  and  prefer  my  room  to 
my  company." 

237 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


Shaggy  and  Kaliko  raised  the  old  King  to  his  feet, 
when  he  was  confronted  by  Shaggy's  brother,  whom  he 
now  noticed  for  the  first  time.  The  queer  and  unexpected 
appearance  of  the  Ugly  One  so  startled  Ruggedo  that  he  gave 
a  wild  cry  and  began  to  tremble,  as  if  he  had  seen  a  ghost. 

"Wh— wh— who  is  this?"  he  faltered. 

"I  am  that  helpless  prisoner  whom  your  cruel  magic  trans 
formed  from  a  handsome  man  into  an  ugly  one!"  answered 
Shaggy's  brother,  in  a  voice  of  stern  reproach. 

"Really,  Ruggedo,"  said  Betsy,  "you  ought  to  be  ashamed 
of  that  mean  trick." 

"I  am,  my  dear,"  admitted  Ruggedo,  who  was  now  as 
meek  and  humble  as  formerly  he  had  been  cruel  and  vin 
dictive. 

"Then,"  returned  the  girl,  "you'd  better  do  some  more 
magic  and  give  the  poor  man  his  own  face  again." 

"I  wish  I  could,"  answered  the  old  King;  "but  you  must 
remember  that  Tititi-Hoochoo  has  deprived  me  of  all  my 
magic  powers.  However,  I  never  took  the  trouble  to  learn 
just  how  to  break  the  charm  I  cast  over  Shaggy's  brother,  for 
I  intended  he  should  always  remain  ugly." 

"Every  charm,"  remarked  pretty  Polychrome,  "has  its 
antidote;  and,  if  you  knew  this  charm  of  ugliness,  Ruggedo, 
you  must  have  known  how  to  dispel  it." 

He  shook  his  head. 

238 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"If  I  did,  I — I've  forgotten,"  he  stammered  regretfully. 

"Try  to  think!"  pleaded  Shaggy,  anxiously.  "Please  try 
to  think!" 

Ruggedo  ruffled  his  hair  with  both  hands,  sighed,  slapped 
his  chest,  rubbed  his  ear,  and  stared  stupidly  around  the 
group. 

"I've  a  faint  recollection  that  there  was  one  thing  that 
would  break  the  charm,"  said  he;  "but  misfortune  has  so 
addled  my  brain  that  I  can't  remember  what  it  was." 

"See  here,  Ruggedo,"  said  Betsy,  sharply,  "we've  treated 
you  pretty  well,  so  far,  but  we  won't  stand  for  any  nonsense, 
and  if  you  know  what's  good  for  yourself  you'll  think  of  that 
charm!" 

"Why?"  he  demanded,  turning  to  look  wonderingly  at  the 
little  girl. 

"Because  it  means  so  much  to  Shaggy's  brother.  He's 
dreadfully  ashamed  of  himself,  the  way  he  is  now,  and  you're 
to  blame  for  it.  Fact  is,  Ruggedo,  you've  done  so  much 
wickedness  in  your  life  that  it  won't  hurt  you  to  do  a  kind 
act  now." 

Ruggedo  blinked  at  her,  and  sighed  again,  and  then  tried 
very  hard  to  think. 

"I  seem  to  remember,  dimly,"  said  he,  "that  a  certain 
kind  of  a  kiss  will  break  the  charm  of  ugliness." 

"What  kind  of  a  kiss?" 

. 

240 


Chapter  Twenty-Two 

"What  kind?  Why,  it  was —  it  was —  it  was  either  the 
kiss  of  a  Mortal  Maid;  or —  or —  the  kiss  of  a  Mortal  Maid 
who  had  once  been  a  Fairy;  or —  or  the  kiss  of  one  who  is  still 
a  Fairy.  I  can't  remember  which.  But  of  course  no  maid, 
mortal  or  fairy,  would  ever  consent  to  kiss  a  person  so  ugly 
— so  dreadfully,  fearfully,  terribly  ugly — as  Shaggy' s 
brother." 

"I'm  not  so  sure  of  that,"  said  Betsy,  with  admirable 
courage;  "I'm  a  Mortal  Maid,  and  if  it  is  my  kiss  that  will 
break  this  awful  charm,  I — -I'll  do  it!" 

"Oh,  you  really  couldn't,"  protested  Ugly.  "I  would  be 
obliged  to  remove  my  mask,  and  when  you  saw  my  face, 
nothing  could  induce  you  to  kiss  me,  generous  as  you  are." 

"Well,  as  for  that,"  said  the  little  girl,  "I  needn't  see  your 
face  at  all.  Here's  my  plan :  You  stay  in  this  dark  passage, 
and  we'll  send  away  the  nomes  with  their  torches.  Then 
you'll  take  off  the  handkerchief,  and  I— I'll  kiss  you." 

"This  is  awfully  kind  of  you,  Betsy!"  said  Shaggy,  grate 
fully. 

"Well,  it  surely  won't  kill  me,"  she  replied;  "and,  if  it 
makes  you  and  your  brother  happy,  I'm  willing  to  take  some 
chances." 

So  Kaliko  ordered  the  torch-bearers  to  leave  the  passage, 
which  they  did  by  going  through  the  rock  opening.  Queen 
Ann  and  her  army  also  went  out;  but  the  others  were  so  inter- 

241 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


ested  in  Betsy's  experiment  that  they  remained  grouped  at 
the  mouth  of  the  passageway.  When  the  big  rock  swung  into 
place,  closing  tight  the  opening,  they  were  left  in  total 
darkness. 

"Now,  then,"  called  Betsy  in  a  cheerful  voice,  "have  you 
got  that  handkerchief  off  your  face,  Ugly?" 

"Yes,"  he  replied.. 

"Well,  where  are  you,  then?"  she  asked,  reaching  out  her 
arms. 

"Here,"  said  he. 

"You'll  have  to  stoop  down,  you  know." 

He  found  her  hands  and  clasping  them  in  his  own  stooped 
until  his  face  was  near  to  that  of  the  little  girl.  The  others 
heard  a  clear,  smacking  kiss,  and  then  Betsy  exclaimed : 

"There !    I've  done  it,  and  it  didn't  hurt  a  bit !" 

"Tell  me,  dear  brother;  is  the  charm  broken?"  asked 
Shaggy. 

"I  do  not  know,"  was  the  reply.  "It  may  be,  or  it  may 
not  be.  I  cannot  tell." 

"Has  anyone  a  match?"  inquired  Betsy. 

"I  have  several,"  said  Shaggy. 

"Then  let  Ruggedo  strike  one  of  them  and  look  at  your 
brother's  face,  while  we  all  turn  our  backs.  Ruggedo  made 
your  brother  ugly,  so  I  guess  he  can  stand  the  horror  of  look 
ing  at  him,  if  the  charm  isn't  broken." 

242 


Chapter  Twenty-Two 

Agreeing  to  this,  Ruggedo  took  the  match  and  lighted  it. 
He  gave  one  look  and  then  blew  out  the  match. 

"Ugly  as  ever!"  he  said  with  a  shudder.  "So  it  wasn't 
the  kiss  of  a  Mortal  Maid,  after  all." 

"Let  me  try,"  proposed  the  Rose  Princess,  in  her  sweet 
voice.  "I  am  a  Mortal  Maid  who  was  once  a  Fairy.  Perhaps 
my  kiss  will  break  the  charm." 

Files  did  not  wholly  approve  of  this,  but  he  was  too  gen 
erous  to  interfere.  So  the  Rose  Princess  felt  her  way  through 
the  darkness  to  Shaggy' s  brother  and  kissed  him. 

Ruggedo  struck  another  match,  while  they  all  turned 
away. 

"No,"  announced  the  former  King;  "that  didn't  break  the 
charm,  either.  It  must  be  the  kiss  of  a  Fairy  that  is  required 
— or  else  my  memory  has  failed  me  altogether." 

"Polly,"  said  Betsy,  pleadingly,  "won't  you  try?" 

"Of  course  I  will!"  answered  Polychrome,  with  a  merry 
laugh.  "I've  never  kissed  a  mortal  man  in  all  the  thousands 
of  years  I  have  existed,  but  I'll  do  it  to  please  our  faithful 
Shaggy  Man,  whose  unselfish  affection  for  his  ugly  brother 
deserves  to  be  rewarded." 

Even  as  Polychrome  was  speaking  she  tripped  lightly  to 
the  side  of  the  Ugly  One  and  quickly  touched  his  cheek  with 
her  lips. 

"Oh,  thank  you — thank  you!"  he  fervently  cried.  "I've 

243 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


changed,  this  time,  I  know.  I  can  feel  it!  I'm  different. 
Shaggy — dear  Shaggy — I  am  myself  again!" 

Files,  who  was  near  the  opening,  touched  the  spring  that 
released  the  big  rock  and  it  suddenly  swung  backward  and 
let  in  a  flood  of  daylight. 

Everyone  stood  motionless,  staring  hard  at  Shaggy' s 
brother,  who,  no  longer  masked  by  the  polka-dot  handker 
chief,  met  their  gaze  with  a  glad  smile. 

''Well,"  said  Shaggy  Man,  breaking  the  silence  at  last 
and  drawing  a  long,  deep  breath  of  satisfaction,  "you  are  no 
longer  the  Ugly  One,  my  dear  brother;  but,  to  be  entirely 
frank  with  you,  the  face  that  belongs  to  you  is  no  more  hand 
some  than  it  ought  to  be." 

"I  think  he's  rather  good  looking,"  remarked  Betsy,  gaz 
ing  at  the  man  critically. 

"In  comparison  with  what  he  was,"  said  King  Kaliko,  "he 
is  really  beautiful.  You,  who  never  beheld  his  ugliness,  may 
not  understand  that;  but  it  was  my  misfortune  to  look  at  the 
Ugly  One  many  times,  and  I  say  again  that,  in  comparison 
with  what  he  was,  the  man  is  now  beautiful." 

"All  right,"  returned  Betsy,  briskly,  "we'll  take  your 
word  for  it,  Kaliko.  And  now  let  us  get  out  of  this  tunnel 
and  into  the  world  again." 


244 


CHAPTER  23 

Ruggedo  Reforms 

IT  DID  not  take  them  long  to  regain  the  royal  cavern  of  the 
Nome  King,  where  Kaliko  ordered  served  to  them  the  nicest 
refreshments  the  place  afforded. 

Ruggedo  had  come  trailing  along  after  the  rest  of  the 
party  and  while  no  one  paid  any  attention  to  the  old  King 
they  did  not  offer  any  objection  to  his  presence  or  command 
him  to  leave  them.  He  looked  fearfully  to  see  if  the  eggs 
were  still  guarding  the  entrance,  but  they  had  now  disap 
peared  ;  so  he  crept  into  the  cavern  after  the  others  and  hum 
bly  squatted  down  in  a  corner  of  the  room. 

There  Betsy  discovered  him.  All  of  the  little  girl's  com 
panions  were  now  so  happy  at  the  success  of  Shaggy' s  quest 

245 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


for  his  brother,  and  the  laughter  and  merriment  seemed  so 
general,  that  Betsy's  heart  softened  toward  the  friendless  old 
man  who  had  once  been  their  bitter  enemy,  and  she  carried  to 
him  some  of  the  food  and  drink. 

Ruggedo's  eyes  filled  with  tears  at  this  unexpected  kind 
ness.  He  took  the  child's  hand  in  his  own  and  pressed  it 
gratefully. 

.  "Look  here,  Kaliko,"  said  Betsy,  addressing  the  new 
King,  "what's  the  use  of  being  hard  on  Ruggedo?  All  his 
magic  power  is  gone,  so  he  can't  do  any  more  harm,  and  I'm 
sure  he's  sorry  he  acted  so  badly  to  everybody." 

"Are  you?"  asked  Kaliko,  looking  down  at  his  former 
master. 

"I  am,"  said  Ruggedo.  "The  girl  speaks  truly.  I'm  sorry 
and  I'm  harmless.  I  don't  want  to  wander  through  the  wide 
world,  on  top  of  the  ground,  for  I'm  a  nome.  No  nome  can 
ever  be  happy  any  place  but  underground." 

"That  being  the  case,"  said  Kaliko,  "I  will  let  you  stay 
here  as  long  as  you  behave  yourself;  but,  if  you  try  to  act 
badly  again,  I  shall  drive  you  out,  as  Tititi-Hoochoo  has  com 
manded,  and  you'll  have  to  wander." 

"Never  fear.  I'll  behave,"  promised  Ruggedo.  "It  is 
hard  work  being  a  King,  and  harder  still  to  be  a  good  King. 
But  now  that  I  am  a  common  nome  I  am  sure  I  can  lead  a 
blameless  life." 

246 


Chapter  Twenty-Three 

They  were  all  pleased  to  hear  this  and  to  know  that  Rug- 
gedo  had  really  reformed. 

"I  hope  he'll  keep  his  word,"  whispered  Betsy  to  Shaggy; 
"but  if  he  gets  bad  again  we  will  be  far  away  from  the  Nome 
Kingdom  and  Kaliko  will  have  to  'tend  to  the  old  nome 
himself." 

Polychrome  had  been  a  little  restless  during  the  last  hour 
or  two.  The  lovely  Daughter  of  the  Rainbow  knew  that  she 
had  now  done  all  in  her  power  to  assist  her  earth  friends,  and 
so  she  began  to  long  for  her  sky  home. 

"I  think,"  she  said,  after  listening  intently,  "that  it  is 
beginning  to  rain.  The  Rain  King  is  my  uncle,  you  know, 
and  perhaps  he  has  read  my  thoughts  and  is  going  to  help  me. 
Anyway,  I  must  take  a  look  at  the  sky  and  make  sure." 

So  she  jumped  up  and  ran  through  the  passage  to  the 
outer  entrance,  and  they  all  followed  after  her  and  grouped 
themselves  on  a  ledge  of  the  mountain-side.  Sure  enough, 
dark  clouds  had  filled  the  sky  and  a  slow,  drizzling  rain  had 
set  in. 

"It  can't  last  for  long,"  said  Shaggy,  looking  upward, 
"and  when  it  stops  we  shall  lose  the  sweet  little  fairy  we  have 
learned  to  love.  Alas,"  he  continued,  after  a  moment,  "the 
clouds  are  already  breaking  in  the  west,  and — see ! — isn't  that 
the  Rainbow  coming?" 

Betsy  didn't  look  at  the  sky;  she  looked  at  Polychrome, 

247 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


whose  happy,  smiling  face  surely  foretold  the  coming  of  her 
father  to  take  her  to  the  Cloud  Palaces.  A  moment  later  a 
gleam  of  sunshine  flooded  the  mountain  and  a  gorgeous  Rain 
bow  appeared. 

With  a  cry  of  gladness  Polychrome  sprang  upon  a  point  of 
rock  and  held  out  her  arms.  Straightway  the  Rainbow 
descended  until  its  end  was  at  her  very  feet,  when  with  a 
graceful  leap  she  sprang  upon  it  and  was  at  once  clasped  in 
the  arms  of  her  radiant  sisters,  the  Daughters  of  the  Rainbow. 
But  Polychrome  released  herself  to  lean  over  the  edge  of  the 
glowing  arch  and  nod,  and  smile  and  throw  a  dozen  kisses 
to  her  late  comrades. 

"Good-bye!"  she  called,  and  they  all  shouted  "Good 
bye!"  in  return  and  waved  their  hands  to  their  pretty  friend. 

Slowly  the  magnificent  bow  lifted  and  melted  into  the 
sky,  until  the  eyes  of  the  earnest  watchers  saw  only  fleecy 
clouds  flitting  across  the  blue. 

"I'm  dreadful  sorry  to  see  Polychrome  go,"  said  Betsy, 
who  felt  like  crying;  "but  I  s'pose  she'll  be  a  good  deal  hap 
pier  with  her  sisters  in  the  sky  palaces." 

"To  be  sure,"  returned  Shaggy,  nodding  gravely.  "It's 
her  home,  you  know,  and  those  poor  wanderers  who,  like  our 
selves,  have  no  home,  can  realize  what  that  means  to  her." 

"Once,"  said  Betsy,  "I,  too,  had  a  home.    Now,  I've  only 
-only— dear  old  Hank!" 

248 


V 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


She  twined  her  arms  around  her  shaggy  friend  who  was 
not  human,  and  he  said:  "Hee-haw!"  in  a  tone  that  showed 
he  understood  her  mood.  And  the  shaggy  friend  who  was 
human  stroked  the  child's  head  tenderly  and  said:  "You're 
wrong  about  that,  Betsy  dear.  I  will  never  desert  you." 

"Nor  I!"  exclaimed  Shaggy's  brother,  in  earnest  tones. 

The  little  girl  looked  up  at  them  gratefully,  and  her  eyes 
smiled  through  their  tears. 

"All  right,"  she  said.  "It's  raining  again,  so  let's  go  back 
into  the  cavern." 

Rather  soberly,  for  all  loved  Polychrome  and  would  miss 
her,  they  reentered  the  dominions  of  the  Nome  King. 


CHAPTER  24 

Dorothy  is  Delighted 

"WELL,"  said  Queen  Ann,  when  all  were  again  seated  in 
Kaliko's  royal  cavern,  "I  wonder  what  we  shall  do  next.  If 
I  could  find  my  way  back  to  Oogaboo  I'd  take  my  army  home 
at  once,  for  I'm  sick  and  tired  of  these  dreadful  hardships." 

"Don't  you  want  to  conquer  the  world?"  asked  Betsy. 

"No;  I've  changed  my  mind  about  that,"  admitted  the 
Queen.  "The  world  is  too  big  for  one  person  to  conquer  and 
I  was  happier  with  my  own  people  in  Oogaboo.  I  wish — 
Oh,  how  earnestly  I  wish — that  I  was  back  there  this  minute !" 

"So  do  I !"  yelled  every  officer  in  a  fervent  tone. 

Now,  it  is  time  for  the  reader  to  know  that  in  the  far-away 
Land  of  Oz  the  lovely  Ruler,  Ozma,  had  been  following  the 

251 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


adventures  of  her  Shaggy  Man,  and  Tik-Tok,  and  all  the 
others  they  had  met.  Day  by  day  Ozma,  with  the  wonderful 
Wizard  of  Oz  seated  beside  her,  had  gazed  upon  a  Magic 
Picture  in  a  radium  frame,  which  occupied  one  side  of  the 
Ruler's  cosy  boudoir  in  the  palace  of  the  Emerald  City.  The 
singular  thing  about  this  Magic  Picture  was  that  it  showed 
whatever  scene  Ozma  wished  to  see,  with  the  figures  all  in 
motion,  just  as  it  was  taking  place.  So  Ozma  and  the  Wizard 
had  watched  every  action  of  the  adventurers  from  the  time 
Shaggy  had  met  shipwrecked  Betsy  and  Hank  in  the  Rose 
Kingdom,  at  which  time  the  Rose  Princess,  a  distant  cousin 
of  Ozma,  had  been  exiled  by  her  heartless  subjects. 

When  Ann  and  her  people  so  earnestly  wished  to  return  to 
Oogaboo,  Ozma  was  sorry  for  them  and  remembered  that 
Oogaboo  was  a  corner  of  the  Land  of  Oz.  She  turned  to  her 
attendant  and  asked : 

"Can  not  your  magic  take  these  unhappy  people  to  their 
old  home,  Wizard?' 

"It  can,  Your  Highness,"  replied  the  little  Wizard. 

"I  think  the  poor  Queen  has  suffered  enough  in  her  mis 
guided  effort  to  conquer  the  world,"  said  Ozma,  smiling  at 
the  absurdity  of  the  undertaking,  "so  no  doubt  she  will  here 
after  be  contented  in  her  own  little  Kingdom.  Please  send 
her  there,  Wizard,  and  with  her  the  officers  and  Files." 

"How  about  the  Rose  Princess?'  asked  the  Wizard. 

252 


Chapter  Twenty-Four 

"Send  her  to  Oogaboo  with  Files,"  answered  Ozma. 
"They  have  become  such  good  friends  that  I  am  sure  it  would 
make  them  unhappy  to  separate  them." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  Wizard,  and  without  any  fuss  or 
mystery  whatever  he  performed  a  magical  rite  that  was  simple 
and  effective.  Therefore  those  seated  in  the  Nome  King's 
cavern  were  both  startled  and  amazed  when  all  the  people  of 
Oogaboo  suddenly  disappeared  from  the  room,  and  with  them 
the  Rose  Princess.  At  first  they  could  not  understand  it  at 
all ;  but  presently  Shaggy  suspected  the  truth,  and  believing 
that  Ozma  was  now  taking  an  interest  in  the  party  he  drew 
from  his  pocket  a  tiny  instrument  which  he  placed  against  his 
ear. 

Ozma,  observing  this  action  in  her  Magic  Picture,  at  once 
caught  up  a  similar  instrument  from  a  table  beside  her  and 
held  it  to  her  own  ear.  The  two  instruments  recorded  the 
same  delicate  vibrations  of  sound  and  formed  a  wireless  tele 
phone,  an  invention  of  the  Wizard.  Those  separated  by 
any  distance  were  thus  enabled  to  converse  together  with  per 
fect  ease  and  without  any  wire  connection. 

"Do  you  hear  me,  Shaggy  Man?"  asked  Ozma. 

"Yes,  Your  Highness,"  he  replied. 

"I  have  sent  the  people  of  Oogaboo  back  to  their  own 
little  valley,"  announced  the  Ruler  of  Oz;  "so  do  not  worry 
over  their  disappearance/* 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"That  was  very  kind  of  you,"  said  Shaggy.  "But  Your 
Highness  must  permit  me  to  report  that  my  own  mission  here 
is  now  ended.  I  have  found  my  lost  brother,  and  he  is  now 
beside  me,  freed  from  the  enchantment  of  ugliness  which 
Ruggedo  cast  upon  him.  Tik-Tok  has  served  me  and  my 
comrades  faithfully,  as  you  requested  him  to  do,  and  I  hope 
you  will  now  transport  the  Clockwork  Man  back  to  your 
fairyland  of  Oz." 

"I  will  do  that,"  replied  Ozma.  "But  how  about  yourself, 
Shaggy?" 

"I  have  been  very  happy  in  Oz,"  he  said,  "but  my  duty 
to  others  forces  me  to  exile  myself  from  that  delightful  land. 
I  must  take  care  of  my  new-found  brother,  for  one  thing,  and 
I  have  a  new  comrade  in  a  dear  little  girl  named  Betsy  Bob 
bin,  who  has  no  home  to  go  to,  and  no  other  friends  but  me 
and  a  small  donkey  named  Hank.  I  have  promised  Betsy 
never  to  desert  her  as  long  as  she  needs  a  friend,  and  so  I 
must  give  up  the  delights  of  the  Land  of  Oz  forever." 

He  said  this  with  a  sigh  of  regret,  and  Ozma  made  no 
reply  but  laid  the  tiny  instrument  on  her  table,  thus  cutting 
off  all  further  communication  with  the  Shaggy  Man.  But 
the  lovely  Ruler  of  Oz  still  watched  her  magic  picture,  with 
a  thoughtful  expression  upon  her  face,  and  the  little  Wizard 
of  Oz  watched  Ozma  and  smiled  softly  to  himself. 

In  the  cavern  of  the  Nome  King  Shaggy  replaced  the 

254 


Chapter  Twenty-Four 

wireless  telephone  in  his  pocket  and  turning  to  Betsy  said  in 
as  cheerful  a  voice  as  he  could  muster : 

"Well,  little  comrade,  what  shall  we  do  next?' 

"I  don't  know,  I'm  sure,"  she  answered  with  a  puzzled 
face.  "I'm  kind  of  sorry  our  adventures  are  over,  for  I  en 
joyed  them,  and  now  that  Queen  Ann  and  her  people  are 
gone,  and  Polychrome  is  gone,  and — dear  me! — where's  Tik- 
Tok,  Shaggy?' 

"He  also  has  disappeared,"  said  Shaggy,  looking  around 
the  cavern  and  nodding  wisely.  "By  this  time  he  is  in  Ozma's 
palace  in  the  Land  of  Oz,  which  is  his  home." 

"Isn't  it  your  home,  too?"  asked  Betsy. 

"It  used  to  be,  my  dear;  but  now  my  home  is  wherever  you 
and  my  brother  are.  We  are  wanderers,  you  know,  but  if  we 
stick  together  I  am  sure  we  shall  have  a  good  time." 

"Then,"  said  the  girl,  "let  us  get  out  of  this  stuffy,  under 
ground  cavern  and  go  in  search  of  new  adventures.  I'm  sure 
it  has  stopped  raining." 

"I'm  ready,"  said  Shaggy,  and  then  they  bade  good-bye 
to  King  Kaliko,  and  thanked  him  for  his  assistance,  and  went 
out  to  the  mouth  of  the  passage. 

The  sky  was  now  clear  and  a  brilliant  blue  in  color;  the 
sun  shone  brightly  and  even  this  rugged,  rocky  country 
seemed  delightful  after  their  confinement  underground. 
There  were  but  four  of  them  now- — Betsy  and  Hank,  and 

255 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


Shaggy  and  his  brother — and  the  little  party  made  their  way 
down  the  mountain  and  followed  a  faint  path  that  led  toward 
the  southwest. 

During  this  time  Ozma  had  been  holding  a  conference 
with  the  Wizard,  and  later  with  Tik-Tok,  whom  the  magic 
of  the  Wizard  had  quickly  transported  to  Ozma's  palace. 
Tik-Tok  had  only  words  of  praise  for  Betsy  Bobbin,  "who," 
he  said,  "is  al-most  as  nice  as  Dor-o-thy  her-self ." 

"Let  us  send  for  Dorothy,"  said  Ozma,  and  summoning 
her  favorite  maid,  who  was  named  Jellia  Jamb,  she  asked  her 
to  request  Princess  Dorothy  to  attend  her  at  once.  So  a  few 
moments  later  Dorothy  entered  Ozma's  room  and  greeted  her 
and  the  Wizard  and  Tik-Tok  with  the  same  gentle  smile  and 
simple  manner  that  had  won  for  the  little  girl  the  love  of 
everyone  she  met. 

"Did  you  want  to  see  me,  Ozma?"  she  asked. 

"Yes,  dear.  I  am  puzzled  how  to  act,  and  I  want  your 
advice." 

"I  don't  b'lieve  it's  worth  much,"  replied  Dorothy,  "but 
I'll  do  the  best  I  can.  What  is  it  all  about,  Ozma?" 

"You  all  know,"  said  the  girl  Ruler,  addressing  her  three 
friends,  "what  a  serious  thing  it  is  to  admit  any  mortals  into 
this  fairyland  of  Oz.  It  is  true  I  have  invited  several  mortals 
to  make  their  home  here,  and  all  of  them  have  proved  true 
and  loyal  subjects.  Indeed,  no  one  of  you  three  was  a  native 

256 


Chapter  Twenty-Four 

of  Oz.  Dorothy  and  the  Wizard  came  here  from  the  United 
States,  and  Tik-Tok  came  from  the  Land  of  Ev.  But  of 
course  he  is  not  a  mortal.  Shaggy  is  another  American,  and 
he  is  the  cause  of  all  my  worry,  for  our  dear  Shaggy  will  not 
return  here  and  desert  the  new  friends  he  has  found  in  his 
recent  adventures,  because  he  believes  they  need  his  services." 

"Shaggy  Man  was  always  kind-hearted,"  remarked  Doro 
thy.  "But  who  are  these  new  friends  he  has  found?" 

"One  is  his  brother,  who  for  many  years  has  been  a  pris 
oner  of  the  Nome  King,  our  old  enemy  Ruggedo.  This 
brother  seems  a  kindly,  honest  fellow,  but  he  has  done  noth 
ing  to  entitle  him  to  a  home  in  the  Land  of  Oz." 

"Who  else?"  asked  Dorothy. 

"I  have  told  you  about  Betsy  Bobbin,  the  little  girl  who 
was  shipwrecked — in  much  the  same  way  you  once  were- — and 
has  since  been  following  the  Shaggy  Man  in  his  search  for 
his  lost  brother.  You  remember  her,  do  you  not?" 

"Oh,  yes !"  exclaimed  Dorothy.  "I've  often  watched  her 
and  Hank  in  the  Magic  Picture,  you  know.  She's  a  dear 
little  girl,  and  old  Hank  is  a  darling !  Where  are  they  now?" 

"Look  and  see/'  replied  Ozma  with  a  smile  at  her  friend's 
enthusiasm. 

Dorothy  turned  to  the  picture,  which  showed  Betsy  and 
Hank,  with  Shaggy  and  his  brother,  trudging  along  the  rocky 
paths  of  a  barren  country. 

257 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"Seems  to  me/5  she  said,  musingly,  "that  they're  a  good 
way  from  any  place  to  sleep,  or  any  nice  things  to  eat." 

"You  are  right,"  said  Tik-Tok.  "I  have  been  in  that 
coun-try,  and  it  is  a  wil-der-ness." 

"It  is  the  country  of  the  nomes,"  explained  the  Wizard, 
"who  are  so  mischievous  that  no  one  cares  to  live  near  them. 
I'm  afraid  Shaggy  and  his  friends  will  endure  many  hard 
ships  before  they  get  out  of  that  rocky  place,  unless — " 

He  turned  to  Ozma  and  smiled. 

"Unless  I  ask  you  to  transport  them  all  here?"  she  asked. 

"Yes,  your  Highness." 

"Could  your  magic  do  that?"  inquired  Dorothy. 

"I  think  so,"  said  the  Wizard. 

"Well,"  said  Dorothy,  "as  far  as  Betsy  and  Hank  are 
concerned,  I'd  like  to  have  them  here  in  Oz.  It  would  be 
such  fun  to  have  a  girl  playmate  of  my  own  age,  you  see. 
And  Hank  is  such  a  dear  little  mule!" 

Ozma  laughed  at  the  wistful  expression  in  the  girl's  eyes, 
and  then  she  drew  Dorothy  to  her  and  kissed  her. 

"Am  I  not  your  friend  and  playmate?"  she  asked. 

Dorothy  flushed. 

"You  know  how  dearly  I  love  you,  Ozma!"  she  cried. 
"But  you're  so  busy  ruling  all  this  Land  of  Oz  that  we  can't 
always  be  together." 

"I  know,  dear.  My  first  duty  is  to  my  subjects,  and  I 

258 


Chapter  Twenty-Four 

think  it  would  be  a  delight  to  us  all  to  have  Betsy  with  us. 
There's  a  pretty  suite  of  rooms  just  opposite  your  own  where 
she  can  live,  and  I'll  build  a  golden  stall  for  Hank  in  the 
stable  where  the  Sawhorse  lives.  Then  we'll  introduce  the 
mule  to  the  Cowardly  Lion  and  the  Hungry  Tiger,  and  Fm 
sure  they  will  soon  become  firm  friends.  But  I  cannot  very 
well  admit  Betsy  and  Hank  into  Oz  unless  I  also  admit 
Shaggy's  brother." 

"And,  unless  you  admit  Shaggy's  brother,  you  will  keep 
out  poor  Shaggy,  whom  we  are  all  very  fond  of,"  said  the 
Wizard. 

"Well,  why  not  ad-mit  him?"  demanded  Tik-Tok. 

"The  Land  of  Oz  is  not  a  refuge  for  all  mortals  in  dis 
tress,"  explained  Ozma.  "I  do  not  wish  to  be  unkind  to 
Shaggy  Man,  but  his  brother  has  no  claim  on  me." 

"The  Land  of  Oz  isn't  crowded,"  suggested  Dorothy. 

"Then  you  advise  me  to  admit  Shaggy's  brother?"  in 
quired  Ozma. 

"Well,  we  can't  afford  to  lose  our  Shaggy  Man,  can  we?" 

"No,  indeed!"  returned  Ozma.  "What  do  you  say, 
Wizard?' 

"I'm  getting  my  magic  ready  to  transport  them  all." 

"And  you,  Tik-Tok?" 

"Shag-gy's  broth-er  is  a  good  fel-low,  and  we  can't  spare 
Shag-gy." 

259 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"So,  thena  the  question  is  settled,"  decided  Ozma.  "Per 
form  your  magic,  Wizard!" 

He  did  so,  placing  a  silver  plate  upon  a  small  standard 
and  pouring  upon  the  plate  a  small  quantity  of  pink  powder 
which  was  contained  in  a  crystal  vial.  Then  he  muttered  a 
rather  difficult  incantation  which  the  sorceress  Glinda  the 
Good  had  taught  him,  and  it  all  ended  in  a  puff  of  per 
fumed  smoke  from  the  silver  plate.  This  smoke  was  so  pun 
gent  that  it  made  both  Ozma  and  Dorothy  rub  their  eyes  for 
a  moment. 

"You  must  pardon  these  disagreeable  fumes,"  said  the 
Wizard.  "I  assure  you  the  smoke  is  a  very  necessary  part 
of  my  wizar3ry." 

"Look!"  cried  Dorothy,  pointing  to  the  Magic  Picture; 
"they're  gone !  All  of  them  are  gone." 

Indeed,  the  picture  now  showed  the  same  rocky  land 
scape  as  before,  but  the  three  people  and  the  mule  had  dis 
appeared  from  it. 

"They  are  gone,"  said  the  Wizard,  polishing  the  silver 
plate  and  wrapping  it  in  a  fine  cloth,  "because  they  are  here." 

At  that  moment  Jellia  Jamb  entered  the  room. 

"Your  Highness,"  she  said  to  Ozma,  "the  Shaggy  Man 
and  another  man  are  in  the  waiting  room  and  ask  to  pay  their 
respects  to  you.  Shaggy  is  crying  like  a  baby,  but  he  says 
they  are  tears  of  joy." 

260 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"Send  them  here  at  once,  Jellia!"  commanded  Ozma. 

"Also,"  continued  the  maid,  "a  girl  and  a  small-sized  mule 
have  mysteriously  arrived,  but  they  don't  seem  to  know 
where  they  are  or  how  they  came  here.  Shall  I  send  them 
here,  too?' 

"Oh,  no!"  exclaimed  Dorothy,  eagerly  jumping  up  from 
her  chair;  "I'll  go  to  meet  Betsy  myself,  for  she'll  feel  awful 
strange  in  this  big  palace." 

And  she  ran  down  the  stairs  two  at  a  time  to  greet  her  new 
friend,  Betsy  Bobbin. 


262 


CHAPTER  25 

The  Land  of  Love 

"WELL,  is  'hee-haw'  all  you  are  able  to  say?"  inquired  the 
Sawhorse,  as  he  examined  Hank  with  his  knot  eyes  and  slowly 
wagged  the  branch  that  served  him  for  a  tail. 

They  were  in  a  beautiful  stable  in  the  rear  of  Ozma's 
palace,  where  the  wooden  Sawhorse — very  much  alive — lived 
in  a  gold-paneled  stall,  and  where  there  were  rooms  for  the 
Cowardly  Lion  and  the  Hungry  Tiger,  which  were  filled  with 
soft  cushions  for  them  to  lie  upon  and  golden  troughs  for 
them  to  eat  from. 

Beside  the  staH  of  the  Sawhorse  had  been  placed  another 
for  Hank,  the  mule.  This  was  not  quite  so  beautiful  as  the 
other,  for  the  Sawhorse  was  Ozma's  favorite  steed;  but  Hank 

263 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


had  a  supply  of  cushions  for  a  bed  (which  the  Sawhorse  did 
not  need  because  he  never  slept)  and  all  this  luxury  was 
so  strange  to  the  little  mule  that  he  could  only  stand  still  and 
regard  his  surroundings  and  his  queer  companions  with 
wonder  and  amazement. 

The  Cowardly  Lion,  looking  very  dignified,  was  stretched 
out  upon  the  marble  floor  of  the  stable,  eyeing  Hank  with  a 
calm  and  critical  gaze,  while  near  by  crouched  the  huge 
Hungry  Tiger,  who  seemed  equally  interested  in  the  new 
animal  that  had  just  arrived.  The  Sawhorse,  standing  stiffly 
before  Hank,  repeated  his  question  : 

"Is  'hee-haw'  all  you  are  able  to  say?" 

Hank  moved  his  ears  in  an  embarrassed  manner. 

"I  have  never  said  anything  else,  until  now,"  he  replied; 
and  then  he  began  to  tremble  with  fright  to  hear  himself  talk. 

"I  can  well  understand  that,"  remarked  the  Lion,  wagging 
his  great  head  with  a  swaying  motion.  "Strange  things 
happen  in  this  Land  of  Oz,  as  they  do  everywhere  else.  I 
believe  you  came  here  from  the  cold,  civilized,  outside  world, 
did  you  not?" 

"I  did,"  replied  Hank.  "One  minute  I  was  outside  of  Oz 
— and  the  next  minute  I  was  inside!  That  was  enough  to 
give  me  a  nervous  shock,  as  you  may  guess;  but  to  find  my 
self  able  to  talk,  as  Betsy  does,  is  a  marvel  that  staggers  me." 

"That  is  because  you  are  in  the  Land  of  Oz,"  said  the 

264 


Chapter  Twenty-Five 

Sawhorse.  "All  animals  talk,  in  this  favored  country,  and 
you  must  admit  it  is  more  sociable  than  to  bray  your  dread 
ful  'hee-haw/  which  nobody  can  understand." 

"Mules  understand  it  very  well,"  declared  Hank. 

"Oh,  indeed!  Then  there  must  be  other  mules  in  your 
outside  worlda"  said  the  Tiger,  yawning  sleepily. 

"There  are  a  great  many  in  America,"  said  Hank.  "Arc 
you  the  only  Tiger  in  Oz?" 

"No,"  acknowledged  the  Tiger,  "I  have  many  relatives 
living  in  the  Jungle  Country;  but  I  am  the  only  Tiger  living 
in  the  Emerald  City." 

"There  are  other  Lions,  too,"  said  the  Sawhorse;  "but  I 
am  the  only  horse,  of  any  description,  in  this  favored  Land." 

"That  is  why  this  Land  is  favored,"  said  the  Tiger.  "You 
must  understand,  friend  Hank,  that  the  Sawhorse  puts  on  airs 
because  he  is  shod  with  plates  of  gold,  and  because  our  be 
loved  Ruler,  Ozma  of  Oz,  likes  to  ride  upon  his  back." 

"Betsy  rides  upon  my  back,"  declared  Hank  proudly. 

"Who  is  Betsy?' 

"The  dearest,  sweetest  girl  in  all  the  world!" 

The  Sawhorse  gave  an  angry  snort  and  stamped  his 
golden  feet.  The  Tiger  crouched  and  growled.  Slowly  the 
great  Lion  rose  to  his  feet,  his  mane  bristling. 

"Friend  Hank,"  said  he,  "either  you  are  mistaken  in  judg 
ment  or  you  are  willfully  trying  to  deceive  us.  The  dearest, 

265 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


sweetest  girl  in  the  world  is  our  Dorothy,  and  I  will  fight 
anyone — animal  or  human — who  dares  to  deny  it!" 

"So  will  I!"  snarled  the  Tiger,  showing  two  rows  of  enor 
mous  white  teeth. 

"You  are  all  wrong!"  asserted  the  Sawhorse  in  a  voice  of 
scorn.  "No  girl  living  can  compare  with  my  mistress,  Ozma 
ofOz!" 

Hank  slowly  turned  around  until  his  heels  were  toward 
the  others.  Then  he  said  stubbornly: 

"I  am  not  mistaken  in  my  statement,  nor  will  I  admit 
there  can  be  a  sweeter  girl  alive  than  Betsy  Bobbin.  If  you 
want  to  fight,  come  on — I'm  ready  for  you!" 

While  they  hesitated,  eyeing  Hank's  heels  doubtfully,  a 
merry  peal  of  laughter  startled  the  animals  and  turning  their 
heads  they  beheld  three  lovely  girls  standing  just  within  the 
richly  carved  entrance  to  the  stable.  In  the  center  was  Ozma, 
her  arms  encircling  the  waists  of  Dorothy  and  Betsy,  who 
stood  on  either  side  of  her.  Ozma  was  nearly  half  a  head 
taller  than  the  two  other  girls,  who  were  almost  of  one  size. 
Unobserved,  they  had  listened  to  the  talk  of  the  animals, 
which  was  a  very  strange  experience  indeed  to  little  Betsy 
Bobbin. 

"You  foolish  beasts!"  exclaimed  the  Ruler  of  Oz,  in  a 
gentle  but  chiding  tone  of  voice.  "Why  should  you  fight  to 
defend  us,  who  are  all  three  loving  friends  and  in  no  sense 

266 


Chapter  Twenty-Five 

rivals?  Answer  me!"  she  continued,  as  they  bowed  their 
heads  sheepishly. 

"I  have  the  right  to  express  my  opinion,  your  Highness," 
pleaded  the  Lion. 

"And  so  have  the  others,"  replied  Ozma.  "I  am  glad 
you  and  the  Hungry  Tiger  love  Dorothy  best,  for  she  was  your 
first  friend  and  companion.  Also  I  am  pleased  that  my  Saw- 
horse  loves  me  best,  for  together  we  have  endured  both  joy 
and  sorrow.  Hank  has  proved  his  faith  and  loyalty  by  de 
fending  his  own  little  mistress;  and  so  you  are  all  right  in 
one  way,  but  wrong  in  another.  Our  Land  of  Oz  is  a  Land 
of  Love,  and  here  friendship  outranks  every  other  quality. 
Unless  you  can  all  be  friends,  you  cannot  retain  our  love." 

They  accepted  this  rebuke  very  meekly. 

"All  right,"  said  the  Sawhorse,  quite  cheerfully;  "shake 
hoofs,  friend  Mule." 

Hank  touched  his  hoof  to  that  of  the  wooden  horse. 

"Let  us  be  friends  and  rub  noses,"  said  the  Tiger.  So 
Hank  modestly  rubbed  noses  with  the  big  beast. 

The  Lion  merely  nodded  and  said,  as  he  crouched  before 
the  mule  : 

"Any  friend  of  a  friend  of  our  beloved  Ruler  is  a  friend 
of  the  Cowardly  Lion.  That  seems  to  cover  your  case.  If 
ever  you  need  help  or  advice,  friend  Hank,  call  on  me." 

"Why,  this  is  as  it  should  be,"  said  Ozma,  highly  pleased 

267 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


to  see  them  so  fully  reconciled.     Then  she  turned  to  her 
companions :  "Come,  my  dears,  let  us  resume  our  walk." 

As  they  turned  away  Betsy  said  wonderingly: 

"Do  all  the  animals  in  Oz  talk  as  we  do?" 

"Almost  all,"  answered  Dorothy.  "There's  a  Yellow  Hen 
here,  and  she  can  talk,  and  so  can  her  chickens;  and  there's 
a  Pink  Kitten  upstairs  in  my  room  who  talks  very  nicely; 
but  I've  a  little  fuzzy  black  dog,  named  Toto,  who  has  been 
with  me  in  Oz  a  long  time,  and  he's  never  said  a  single  word 
but  'Bow-wow!'" 

"Do  you  know  why?"  asked  Ozma. 

"Why,  he's  a  Kansas  dog;  so  I  s'pose  he's  different  from 
these  fairy  animals,"  replied  Dorothy. 

"Hank  isn't  a  fairy  animal,  any  more  than  Toto,"  said 
Ozma,  "yet  as  soon  as  he  came  under  the  spell  of  our  fairy 
land  he  found  he  could  talk.  It  was  the  same  way  with  Bill- 
ina,  the  Yellow  Hen  whom  you  brought  here  at  one  time. 
The  same  spell  has  affected  Toto,  I  assure  you;  but  he's  a  wise 
little  dog  and  while  he  knows  everything  that  is  said  to  him 
he  prefers  not  to  talk." 

"Goodness  me!"  exclaimed  Dorothy.  "I  never  s'pected 
Toto  was  fooling  me  all  this  time."  Then  she  drew  a  small 
silver  whistle  from  her  pocket  and  blew  a  shrill  note  upon  it. 
A  moment  later  there  was  a  sound  of  scurrying  footsteps,  and 
a  shaggy  black  dog  came  running  up  the  path. 

268 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


Dorothy  knelt  down  before  him  and  shaking  her  finger 
just  above  his  nose  she  said  : 

"Toto,  haven't  I  always  been  good  to  you?" 

Toto  looked  up  at  her  with  his  bright  black  eyes  and 
wagged  his  tail. 

"Bow-wow!"  he  said,  and  Betsy  knew  at  once  that  meant 
yes,  as  well  as  Dorothy  and  Ozma  knew  it,  for  there  was  no 
mistaking  the  tone  of  Toto's  voice. 

"That's  a  dog  answer,"  said  Dorothy.  "How  would  you 
like  it,  Toto,  if  I  said  nothing  to  you  but  'bow-wow'  ?" 

Toto's  tail  was  wagging  furiously  now,  but  otherwise  he 
was  silent. 

"Really,  Dorothy,"  said  Betsy,  "he  can  talk  with  his  bark 
and  his  tail  just  as  well  as  we  can.  Don't  you  understand 
such  dog  language?" 

"Of  course  I  do,"  replied  Dorothy.  "But  Toto's  got  to 
be  more  sociable.  See  here,  sir!"  she  continued,  addressing 
the  dog,  "I've  just  learned,  for  the  first  time,  that  you  can 
say  words — if  you  want  to.  Don't  you  want  to,  Toto?" 

"Woof!"  said  Toto,  and  that  meant  "no." 

"Not  just  one  word,  Toto,  to  prove  you're  as  good  as  any 
other  animal  in  Oz?" 

"Woof!" 

"Just  one  word,  Toto — and  then  you  may  run  away." 

He  looked  at  her  steadily  a  moment. 

270 


Chapter  Twenty-Five 

"All  right.  Here  I  go!"  he  said,  and  darted  away  as 
swift  as  an  arrow. 

Dorothy  clapped  her  hands  in  delight,  while  Betsy  and 
Ozma  both  laughed  heartily  at  her  pleasure  and  the  success 
of  her  experiment.  Arm  in  arm  they  sauntered  away  through 
the  beautiful  gardens  of  the  palace,  where  magnificent  flowers 
bloomed  in  abundance  and  fountains  shot  their  silvery  sprays 
far  into  the  air.  And  by  and  by,  as  they  turned  a  corner, 
they  came  upon  Shaggy  Man  and  his  brother,  who  were  seated 
together  upon  a  golden  bench. 

The  two  arose  to  bow  respectfully  as  the  Ruler  of  Oz 
approached  them. 

"How  are  you  enjoying  our  Land  of  Oz?"  Ozma  asked  the 
stranger. 

"I  am  very  happy  here,  Your  Highness,"  replied  Shaggy' s 
brother.  "Also  I  am  very  grateful  to  you  for  permitting  me 
to  live  in  this  delightful  place." 

"You  must  thank  Shaggy  for  that,"  said  Ozma.  "Being 
his  brother,  I  have  made  you  welcome  here." 

"When  you  know  Brother  better,"  said  Shaggy  earnestly, 
"you  will  be  glad  he  has  become  one  of  your  loyal  subjects. 
I  am  just  getting  acquainted  with  him  myself,  and  I  find  much 
in  his  character  to  admire." 

Leaving  the  brothers,  Ozma  and  the  girls  continued  their 
walk.  Presently  Betsy  exclaimed: 

271 


Tik-Tok  of  Oz 


"Shaggy' s  brother  can't  ever  be  as  happy  in  Oz  as  /  am. 
Do  you  know,  Dorothy,  I  didn't  believe  any  girl  could  ever 
have  such  a  good  time — anywhere — as  I'm  having  now?" 

"I  know,"  answered  Dorothy.  "I've  felt  that  way  myself, 
lots  of  times." 

"I  wish,"  continued  Betsy,  dreamily,  "that  every  little 
girl  in  the  world  could  live  in  the  Land  of  Oz;  and  every 
little  boy,  too!" 

Ozma  laughed  at  this. 

"It  is  quite  fortunate  for  us,  Betsy,  that  your  wish  cannot 
be  granted,"  said  she,  "for  all  that  army  of  girls  and  boys 
would  crowd  us  so  that  we  would  have  to  move  away." 

"Yes,"  agreed  Betsy,  after  a  little  thought,  "I  guess  that's 
true." 


RETURN    CIRCULATION  DEPARTMENT 

TO—*-    202  Main  Library 


LOAN  PERIOD  1 
HOME  USE 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

ALL  BOOKS  MAY  BE  RECALLED  AFTER  7  DAYS 

Renewals  and  Recharges  may  be  made  4  days  prior  to  the  due  date. 

Books  may  be  Renewed  by  calling        642-3405 

DUE  AS  STAMPED  BELOW 


FEB  1  1  1993 

!!OV  09  1996 

r^ 

r~r        I                       "IVP" 

kfA\i  n  f*  inn/* 

NUv  26  1996 

crp    n  q  |Qv 

6 

.3 

m  i  r\  »no 

AUTO  DISC  Gkl    M 

)R  iO  93 

NOV  1  fJ  19°7 

MiTAHKf  fW" 

.l--r(',9'93 

AU  lU  UloL  Unx 

.IAN  08  iqq4 

iftfi  26  '94 

r£B^5i     . 

nr.T  1  c  1995 

NOV  1  4  200Z 

DC»  nacti»*  UU  03135 

FORM  NO.  DD6 


BERKELEY,  CA  94720 


U.C.BERKELEY  LIBRARIES 


